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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265862">Here Lies The Brave At Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel0221/pseuds/angel0221'>angel0221</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The 100 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bellamy Blake Has Feelings, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin Fluff, Crossover, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gryffindor Bellamy Blake, Holidays, Protective Bellamy Blake, Quidditch, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Slytherin Clarke Griffin, bellamy and clarke are idiots in love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 12:07:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265862</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel0221/pseuds/angel0221</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bellamy, Clarke, and their lives at Hogwarts. <br/>**<br/>Crossover fic of Bellamy and Clarke colliding and then orbiting around each other until they collide again. <br/>**<br/>Follows them through a fall term at Hogwarts, little sprinkle of the holidays in there as well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Here Lies The Brave At Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Goddamn it Blake,” Clarke sighed turning around briskly after Bellamy forced her to.</p><p>“You’re out after curvew,” Bellamy said with a shrug. Clarke continued walking, “Twenty points from Slytherin.”</p><p>“Twenty points!” Clarke cried shrilly and turned around. He had a wicked grin on his face, “Not funny. Just because you’re the Head Boy and I’m not the Head Girl doesn’t mean you get to take points from my house.”</p><p>“I think that’s exactly what that means actually,” He said walking faster to catch up with her. The badge on his chest gleamed next to the crimson lining of his robes. Clark scoffed at him. “C’mon, I’m joking,” he said. His long legs made it easier to catch up to her.</p><p>“It’s not funny.”</p><p>“Clarke,” Bellamy grabbed her arm, “Wait, I’m not taking the points from you. I’m sorry.”</p><p>She smiled ruefully at him, “I know. It’s just been a rough night.”</p><p>“What can I do?”</p><p>She smiled at him, “Walk me to the kitchen?”</p><p>“Always,” they began at a stroll. The pair had done this many times before. Clark and Bellamy were enemies once, but in her third year, his fifth, they played against each other on the Quidditch pitch. Clarke was the seeker for Slytherin. Bellamy the beater for Gryffindor. He aimed the quaffle at Murphy, a Slytherin chaser, and honestly an asshole, but instead it missed and threw Clarke off her broom. She woke up in the hospital wing with Raven on one side and a sharp eyed brown haired Slytherin second year at her other. Clarke had seen her in the common room but they had never really talked before so she found that odd.</p><p>“She wouldn’t leave you alone,” Raven supplied as she held onto Clarke’s wrist, “You know I wasn’t going to either. That was a right nasty fall.”</p><p>“Fuck yeah it was,” the second year said resolutely, “I’m Octavia. My brother was the one who hit the Quaffle.”</p><p>“What?” Raven said angrily, “You said you knew Clarke?”</p><p>“I do,” Octavia shrugged, “She’s the girl my brother hit out of the sky.”</p><p>Raven was going to say something else but Clark finally found her tongue. “But why are you here?” Her voice was groggy and Raven immediately began filling the cup of water by her bed.</p><p>“My brother is totally freaking out about it,” Octavia said shortly as Raven passed her the cup, “He wanted to apologize but didn’t wanna upset you when you woke up so he sent me.” Clarke and Raven looked at her blankly. “Ya know, cause I’m a Slytherin too? I don’t know he didn’t want you to freak out at him.”</p><p>“Coward,” Raven said under her breath. She didn’t like the Gryffindors as much as a Ravenclaw could. Probably Clarke rubbing off on her.</p><p>“Excuse you,” Octavia said shooting up, “My brother is not a coward.” The anger in her eyes was crisp. She began to walk away muttering. At the door she stopped and turned to the shocked looks on Clarke and Ravens faces, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.”</p><p>Raven’s draw was dropped, “That girl is crazy.”</p><p>***</p><p>            Clarke was finally back in classes. She couldn’t miss many more in Potions at least, even if she did have a pounding headache. In the Great Hall for lunch she rounded to the Ravenclaw table. Usually she sat with Raven and her friends, some of the Slytherins were assholes and it was easier just to hang out with Raven, Harper, and Monty. Sometimes Jackson came over from the Gryffindor table and he was probably the only one she could stand.</p><p>            “Hey you’re back,” Harper said to her with a smile, “How are you feeling?”</p><p>            “Good, Potions gave me a fricking headache though.”</p><p>            “When does it not?” Jasper said sitting down, “I will let you keep your side of the bet since you physically were knocked out. Gryffindor still won though.”</p><p>            “Ugh don’t remind me,” Clarke groaned, “Murphy is gonna kill me.”</p><p>            “I doubt it,” Monty said.</p><p>            Raven chimed in, “Yeah he was pissed.”</p><p>            “Hey,” a deep voice said behind her. She turned, it was the Gryffindor beater. In the day light she got a closer look at him. He had big doe eyes and his curly hair fell in untidy ringlets around his forehead. His skin was much darker than her own pale white. “I wanted to apologize.”</p><p>            “For you or your sister?” Raven said suddenly. Clarke shot her a look, she didn’t need her fighting her battles for her.</p><p>            “Yeah,” he scratched the back of his neck, “Both?” He smiled. The assholes were always the cute ones.</p><p>            Clarke rolled her eyes, “Yeah well maybe next time you shouldn’t send your little sister to do your dirty work for you.” Clarke turned and began gathering her things. “I’m gonna go,” She said to Raven.</p><p>            “You haven’t even eaten.”</p><p>            “Don’t leave. I’ll leave,” the beater said suddenly already walking away.</p><p>            “No, it’s okay I’m not hungry anyway,” she said to her friends, “Have some homework to catch up on.” Okay, now she might be laying it on a little thick. It was just a quidditch accident. It’s part of the game. The problem isn’t that she ya know, could’ve died, it’s that he sent his little sister to do his dirty work and she just yelled at them! Worst apology.</p><p>            Clarke began her walk to the library to study before her afternoon classes.</p><p>***</p><p>            “Sweetie,” the librarian shook her arm. Can’t she just let her rest? Wait.</p><p>            Clarke shot up, “What time is it?”</p><p>            The matron looked at her sadly, “We’re closing for the night. It’s almost 8.”</p><p>            “Are you kidding me?” Clarke began scrambling, “I missed transfiguration.” She honestly couldn’t even afford to miss because she was barely scrambling in the class as it is.</p><p>            “Oh no!” The kind woman actually looked upset, “I just saw you now. I’m sorry.”</p><p>            “No,” Clarke stopped scrambling. There was no where to go anymore. “My fault, don’t worry. Thanks for waking me up.”</p><p>            The woman smiled before walking away. Clarke tried to imagine how stupid she must look to the matron. With a huff she become packing up her things slowly to the sound of her rumbling stomach. <em>Guess I’ll have to grab something from the kitchen,</em> she thought to herself. Dinner was over and curfew was to start at 8 so Clarke probably had a few minutes to bribe a house elf to give her some of the food.</p><p>            She began her walk to the kitchen quickly lugging her books she ended up not needing. Diana was going to be pissed. Clarke checked the clock hanging on the wall as she passed the Great Hall, twenty past eight. She was breaking curfew, but if she didn’t get some food that could become someone else’s problem. She could already feel the unfounded anger rising up as her stomach continued growling.</p><p>            “Hey,” a suspiciously familiar deep voice called from behind her. She turned around anyway just to tell whoever it was to fuck off. It was the beater from the match. God, is he freaking following her? She turned back towards the hallway to the kitchen. “Wait!” He called jogging to catch up with her and leaving the other person he was with, “That’s not the way to the dungeons.”</p><p>            “As if you know,” Clarke sassed back at him. Wow, she really needed some dinner. She stopped as he caught up with her.</p><p>            “I do actually,” he said pointed to the prefect badge on his chest. Clarke was stunned. Damn, now she was going to lose more points for Slytherin. Worst day ever.</p><p>            Clarke needed to think about her options here. “Look,” she needed to be nice, but he sure as hell was not getting in the way of her and her food. “I missed dinner okay. I’m just going to go to the kitchen for a snack.” The other prefect came to a stop next to the beater.</p><p>            “That’s a violation of the rules,” The other prefect said snottily.</p><p>            Before she could retort the beater jumped in, “Yeah, we won’t take any points but let me escort you back down to the dungeons.” Clarke was pissed. How could they not let her have any dinner? What kind of assholes did they pick to be prefects anyway? She huffed and began stalking toward the dungeons on her own. She heard the beater tell the other prefect he would catch up to them before jogging to keep up with Clarke. He seems to be doing that a lot. Doesn’t he realize she just doesn’t want to talk?</p><p>            He caught up with her as she was winding the first corner away from the kitchens. “Where are you going?” He asked with a smile.</p><p>            She could scream at him, “To the dungeons to starve to death.”</p><p>            He laughed. She scoffed and picked up her pace, “Now hold up, don’t be so dramatic.” The beater went to grab her arm but she twitched out of the way. He put his hands up, “We’re still going to the kitchen.”</p><p>            That made her stop short, “What?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” the beater said shortly, “I just had to ditch Maya, nice girl but a stickler for the rules.”</p><p>Clarke still didn’t look convinced but she had stopped moving away from the kitchens. “Why would you help me?”</p><p>“Cause if I let you go back to your common room starving you might take all this anger out on someone who doesn’t deserve it.” Clarke huffed, he was probably right.</p><p>“Okay,” she said uncrossing her arms and smiling at him. “Let’s go then,” and began walking back to the kitchen.</p><p>“Wait,” he beckoned her another way, “This is quicker. And we won’t see Maya since we already patrolled here.”</p><p>He began leading Clarke down a hallway she didn’t even know was there. She said as much and he laughed, “You get to see a whole lot of the castle walking around at night and patrolling. Plus, I have two whole years ahead of you.”</p><p>“You’re a 5<sup>th</sup> year?” Clarke questioned. She thought he was only a year ahead of her. But it does fit that he would be older, he might not be that tall but now that she’s actually talking to him he seems older.</p><p>“Yup,” he looked over to smile at her. “Bellamy Blake, feel like we met on the Quidditch pitch one time?”</p><p>“Oh, really?” She feigned innocence, “I wouldn’t know. The matron told me that I got in some kind of accident but that I wouldn’t remember it.”</p><p>“What?” Bellamy said way too loudly for two people who were sneaking around after hours.</p><p>“Jeez Bellamy,” Clarke whispered, “I’m joking. I remember everything about you hitting me in the head with a quaffle.”</p><p>Bellamy looked genuinely sheepish, “I’m really sorry about that. Usually I have better aim.”</p><p>Clarke waved her hand, “This more than makes up for it.” She smiled at him sneakily, “Now for your sister, I think you need to bring me to the kitchens another time.”</p><p>Bellamy smiled at her, “Speaking of my sister, she’s also a Slytherin so I know what you’re trying to pull. And I’m not falling for it.” Well, a girl had to try. “I am sorry for her though,” Bellamy added sheepishly.</p><p>“Yeah,” Clarke said, “what was that about? Sending your sister to do your dirty work? Doesn’t sound very Gryffindor to me.”</p><p>Bellamy deadpanned a look at her, “It seemed like a good idea at the time. It would’ve been weirder if I was waiting to tell you I was sorry.”</p><p>“No,” Clarke denied, “it wouldn’t have been.”</p><p>“Agree to disagree,” Bellamy shot her a look, “I mean I know Octavia has a hot-head but I didn’t expect her to yell at you <em>while </em>you were in the hospital bed.”</p><p>“I feel like you should have realized. Honestly though, you have nothing to apologize for. It’s Quidditch. There’s risks, just usually not so suddenly.”</p><p>“That’s true. Well then I’m just sorry that I stuck Octavia on you,” He phrased while rounding a corner that Clarke didn’t see.</p><p>“Apology accepted.” Clarke said stopping at the door to the kitchen. She smiled at him. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.</p><p>***</p><p>The 7<sup>th</sup> year Bellamy standing next to her now was a few inches taller but still had the boyish smiled plastered onto his face.</p><p>“So tell me what’s wrong? Why’d you snap at me before?” Bellamy asked sweetly. As Head Boy he didn’t need a partner for rounds anymore, he patrolled one end of the castle and the Head Girl patrolled the other on their nights. It’s lucky it was Bellamy and not Maya, a 6<sup>th</sup> year Hufflepuff. Clarke knew her better now that she’s hung out with her and Bellamy a few times, but that doesn’t mean Maya wouldn’t take points from Slytherin for Clarke being out after curfew. Bellamy on the other hand has never taken points from Clarke when he catches her going down to the kitchen for a midnight snack, mostly ice cold chocolate ice cream with the special caramel the house elves make to drizzle on the desserts.</p><p>“Rough night,” Clarke smiled sadly. Bellamy walked silently next to her waiting for Clarke to continue, “My mom owled.” Clarke’s father had died a month before she came to Hogwarts in the fall. Now it was almost Halloween and Clarke dreaded hearing from her mother. Her father was an amazing muggle and her mother was a powerful Healer who didn’t understand her father’s insistence to continue falling into the muggle way of life that he always had before he knew about magic. It wasn’t that he didn’t like magic, it was just that he was an engineer. He relied on machines for what he needed, not his wives’ magic. In the end they had had a row because of something or other, Clarke didn’t get the specifics, but her father left to go on a drive. He ended up dying in a muggle automobile accident and the rocky relationship Clarke had with her mother just continued to get rockier afterwards.</p><p>Hogwarts had become an escape from the life filled with constant memories of her father. At first she was sad to have left her mom there all alone, but turns out she hasn’t been alone at all.</p><p>“What did she say?” Bellamy asked patiently. Clarke felt inexplicably like she was going to cry. <em>There was no reason to cry!</em> Clarke reminded herself, but it didn’t make the hurt lessen. They rounded the hidden corner to the hallway of the kitchens. Bellamy saw the wetness about to spill over onto her cheeks and got frightened. He could never handle it when she cried. She remembers when she cried to him after Lexa broke her heart. Bellamy was a mess. Torn between pacing the room angrily and asking her if she needed anything. All she really needed was his shoulder under her head and his arms around her, not that she would ever admit that to him.</p><p>“I need ice cream first.”</p><p>Bellamy nodded seriously, “Everything is easier with ice cream.” He smiled at her and took her hand in comfort for a few steps before they reached the kitchen door. He dropped it to knock on the wood. A small greying house elf came out.</p><p>“Hey Patty,” Bellamy said relieved. At least they didn’t have one of the few elves that refused treats to the students. Patty was a sweet older elf that tended to man the doors during Final Exam weeks, usually sitting on the stoop of the door frame with a basket of pastries behind her wrapped up for the students who needed a studying snack. “We would love two bowls of chocolate ice cream with caramel please. If that would be okay?”</p><p>Patty looked at Clarke and Bellamy happily, “Yes, yes. Anything else.”</p><p>“Maybe some whipped cream and sprinkles on top of mine?” Clarke spoke up suddenly. It was definitely a night for some whipped cream.</p><p>“Mine too,” Bellamy interjected. Patty scurried away happy to help. He rounded on Clarke, “Damn, whipped cream <em>and </em>sprinkles. Must be serious.” He was joking but Clarke could see the actual concern in his eyes. Bellamy has been like this for at least the last year. He seems all tough on the outside but actually he’s a huge softie for everyone. A total mother hen. Even if it was in Bellamy’s nature to worry, it was in Clarke’s nature to not want people worrying about her at all.</p><p>“It’s not that bad,” Bellamy didn’t look convinced. Clarke scoffed, “Seriously, I’m just being dramatic.”</p><p>“Well, that’s not a first,” He smiled impishly at her. Clarke bumped her shoulder against his own when Patty came out with two huge bowls of ice cream with all the fixings.</p><p>“Oh my god,” Clarke audibly gasped as her mouth filled with saliva. This is definitely a need.</p><p>“You have outdone yourself,” Bellamy said grabbing his and Clarke’s bowls out of the struggling elves arms. He handed Clarkes hers and she immediately swiped a finger through the whipped cream and sucked it off. Bellamy’s eyes were drawn to her mouth for a second before switching his gaze to the kind elf, “Thanks so much.”</p><p>She smiled lovingly at them, “No fuss. No fuss. I’ll come get the bowls tomorrow.”</p><p>“I think we’ll probably just eat them in a classroom around the corner,” Clarke said, “We’ll leave them on the door steps if that’s easier.”</p><p>“Perfect,” the greying elf squeaked at them, “Goodnight! Don’t get into any trouble,” Patty sang as she closed the kitchen door behind her. Bellamy and Clarke set off towards the classroom. Clarke couldn’t help but keep swiping the cream off and sucking it off her finger as they walked. Much needed.</p><p>They found the abandoned classroom they frequented unoccupied. Sometimes there were couples sprawled out on their couch which was always awkward because Bellamy had to get them to clear out and stop breaking the rules when that was in fact what they were doing themselves. Bellamy never gave out points unless absolutely necessary though.  </p><p>They munched in silence, but Bellamy began giving her furtive looks. “Ya gotta tell me,” he finally broke when they were about halfway through their bowls.</p><p>Clarke smiled at him, “Now who’s dramatic?” Bellamy huffed but did not make a sound. Just placed another spoon of ice cream into his mouth and waited. “My mom has a boyfriend,” Even to Clarke’s own ears the statement sounded strange. Her father was dead two months and now her mom had a new boyfriend? It didn’t make sense.</p><p>“Oh,” Bellamy said unceremoniously and then pointed out, “Well, you were concerned she was lonely.”</p><p><em>Way to remind me</em>, Clarke thought sarcastically while spooning some ice cream into her mouth. “Well yeah,” she said out loud to Bellamy, “But I thought she should join a book club, maybe a support group for widows. Not get a new boyfriend right away.”</p><p>“At least she’s happy?” Bellamy questioned reasonably.</p><p>“But should she be? He’s only been dead for two months!” Clarke cried shrilly.</p><p>Bellamy looked at her with pity. She hated it. “You can’t punish her for the past Clarke. She’s trying to move on.”</p><p>Clarke got unexplainably angry. That’s been happening more and more. Usually she can just take it out on the Quidditch pitch, streaking through the skies. But now all she could do was eat out her feelings. Which ya know, isn’t that bad of a plan in all honesty. She got quiet. Why does she care if her mother has a new boyfriend? It’s not like her dad is coming back. <em>It’s not like her dad is coming back. </em>Clarkes eyes welled up uncontrollably and she couldn’t help the tears from flowing over her lashes.</p><p>“Fuck Clarke,” Bellamy ditched his bowl of ice cream and put his arm around her shoulder, “I’m sorry that was insensitive. Of course you care about your mom being with someone else. I just didn’t realize. It must be weird.”</p><p>Clarke broke away to place her almost finished bowl of ice cream on the floor as well. She scooted back into Bellamy’s arms again, crying openly onto his robes. “He’s not coming back.” She whispered into the fabric. Bellamy’s arms tightened around her.</p><p>“No,” he began stroking her arm as she wept onto his chest. The ice cream melted as Clarke began to calm down.</p><p>“It’s too soon,” she said finally with a croak. Clarke cleared her throat a little, “I knew this would happen but I’m not ready. Even if she is.” Bellamy hummed on the top of her head and waited again. He always knew when she needed him to wait and when she needed him to be there. He always seemed to just be there since that day he caught her sneaking down to the kitchens. “I just don’t know how she can lay with him in their room. How she can just replace him.”</p><p>“She’s not replacing him,” Bellamy said suddenly, “She can’t. This is just for her. She can’t relive memories; she needs to make some more.”</p><p>“I know,” Clarke said. She sat up and grabbed her bowl. The ice cream was melted but Clarke still gathered the rest on her spoon and ate it. “I’m just not ready for him to be a memory yet.” Bellamy looked at her sadly but didn’t say anything. Clarke stood up out of his arms. “Are you done?” She didn’t wait for him to answer before grabbing his bowl, she knows he doesn’t eat the ice cream once it’s melted. “Are you ready? You probably have to finish your rounds anyway.”</p><p>Bellamy looked sheepish, that might be true but he wasn’t going to admit it. He stood up as well, “I have some time.” Clarke deadpanned a look at him. Her nose was crimson, and her eyes were extremely puffy. Bellamy hated to see her like this, it hit him right in the gut. She turned and began walking out of the classroom back towards the kitchen, making him jog to catch up with her again.</p><p>“Where are you going?” Bellamy demands.</p><p>Clarke looked at him. It was like her break never happened. She sealed herself right back up, never wanting him to worry. Never going to actually tell her mother it bothers her. Too bad that he can’t give up that easily. His mind won’t let him. “The dungeons,” her voice cracked but neither of them mentioned it.</p><p>“You know I’m walking you there.” Bellamy said with no room for argument.</p><p>Clarke waved him off as she squatted at the kitchen door to place the bowls and the spoons. “I know, I know,” She looked at him with her piercing blue eyes, “You don’t have to though.” Bellamy’s brown orbs stared into hers. “Whatever,” Clarke began walking off. Bellamy immediately put his arm around her and pulled her into his side while they walked together.</p><p>“I know I don’t have to.”</p><p>***</p><p>Halloween was big at Hogwarts. Besides the feast, the witches and wizards loved to dress up as everything imaginable. It was the only thing Bellamy didn’t pretend to hate. Usually every year him and Octavia would do a matching costume together, but this year she refused. Said that now that she was a 4<sup>th</sup> year and 14 year old’s couldn’t be seen dressing up with their brother prancing around Hogwarts. Bellamy was a 7<sup>th</sup> year and he didn’t mind, but he wasn’t about to mention that to her.</p><p>Bellamy understood the real reasoning when he walked into the Slytherin common room for their house’s annual Halloween party. Clarke had invited him, and it seemed fun. There would be firewhiskey, butterbeer, and well... Clarke. Bellamy also knew that if anyone wasn’t going to snitch on the Head Boy for drinking it would be the Slytherins. You can say what you want about Slytherins, but they were not snitches.</p><p>Octavia didn’t want to dress up with him because she wanted to come to this party naked. Or at least, almost naked. She was wearing what looked like her second year school uniform skirt hitched up to her waist and her white collared shirt was open in the bust. Her red bra was peeking out underneath and she was noticeably swaying on the spot. Good god. This is not something an older brother should be seeing. He marched right over to her and grabbed her arm to drag her into the corner away from the boy she was talking to.</p><p>“Oi!” Octavia yelled as Bellamy dragged her, “You didn’t even let me finish my conversation.”</p><p>“Octavia,” he was seething. “What the fuck is this?”</p><p>“What’s what?” She was playing dumb but the almost unnoticeable blush wiped across her high cheekbones.</p><p>“Octavia,” he didn’t remember the last time he was this pissed at her. Before he could really tear into her Bellamy felt a hand grab his arm.</p><p>“What’s up?” Clarke jumped in. Octavia’s eyes immediately went to her, and so did Bellamy’s. He looked incredulously at Clarke and gestured at Octavia.</p><p>“Bellamy,” Clarke admonished, “It’s a costume party.”</p><p>“This isn’t even clothes!” Bellamy screamed.</p><p>“Jesus Bell! Keep it down,” Octavia growled. And yeah he might’ve been too loud but did no one else care that his baby sister was dressed like this? In public?</p><p>Clarke’s hand was still on his arm and she tightened her grip, “Bell, why don’t I get you a drink? Firewhiskey or Butterbeer?”</p><p>Bellamy saw right through this, but he finally got a good look at Clarke. Her hair was straightened, and she was wearing a lilac mini dress. She had on three layers of necklaces, the highest a choker and the lowest dipping between the crest of her breasts. His attention was shifted momentarily. He almost let Clarke begin pulling him away before turning around and shifting to Octavia. “Button up the shirt,” He heard her scoff behind him but he didn’t care.</p><p>Clarke led him to the drinks table. It was actually a stolen desk that one of the Slytherins must’ve got for the party tonight, but Bellamy had taken himself off duty. This was his last Halloween spent at Hogwarts and he was going to spend it right. Clarke began pouring him Firewhiskey without him even asking. She put some of the ice in it too, just how he liked. Bellamy admired her costume. She was wearing white stilettos that made her almost eye level with him. “I’m digging this look don’t get me wrong,” He said. She smiled up at him, “But what are you?”</p><p>“Buffy the Vampire slayer. It’s a muggle show,” Clarke answered, “I don’t have to ask you what you are though, pretty lame if you ask me.”</p><p>Bellamy had just put on his practice shorts and a sleeveless Gryffindor tank top. “Well, if I was going to stand out at the Slytherin party I might as well let them all know who they’re dealing with.”</p><p>Clarke sipped his drink to taste it and immediately grimaced. She handed him the cup anyway, “I don’t know how you drink that.” She raised her own Butterbeer to her lips to wash the taste away.</p><p>Bellamy smiled, didn’t taste too good to him either but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “Tonight I am off duty, so might as well.” She cheers him on that and flashed him a blinding smile. Bellamy had to look away and turned directly at Octavia, who had not even pretended to button up her top. He gulped a giant sip of his own drink, “I mean I had to come up with my costume last minute since she wouldn’t do one with me this year.”</p><p>Clarke followed his eyes to Octavia and smiled, “Bell. You both have been different mythical creatures every year of your lives! You can’t blame her for wanting something new.” Bellamy was silent. “It’s not her fault she doesn’t want to be the back of the Hippogriff this year.” That got him to chuckle.</p><p>“I would never make her be the back.”</p><p>Clarke gave him a blinding smile. “Look,” she pointed to a drinking game of exploding snap in the corner. Far away from Octavia, “Play with me.” Bellamy didn’t look convinced. Clarke sighed wearily and grabbed his hand. She began pulling him to the game as he dragged his feet, “You’re not ruining Halloween. I won’t let you.”</p><p>***</p><p>Five games of exploding snap later and three cups of firewhiskey each, the games were finally done. Both Bellamy and Clarke might have lost, but they played for pretty long each round before they met their demise. The firewhiskey was burning through Bellamy’s veins and Clarke’s cheeks were burning pink. She had decided to quit before the fifth game and lean back onto the couch they were sitting on. Bellamy decided to join her after losing spectacularly the next round. Clarke immediately cozied up to his side and put her head on his shoulder. He felt way to hot for another body to be pressed against his, but he would never say no to Clarke.</p><p>“Don’t go,” Clarke mumbled into his shoulder. Maybe she was drunker than he thought.</p><p>“Why?” The haze around his head cleared for a second, “Are you okay?”</p><p>Clarke opened her bleary eyes and looked up at him. “Yeah,” she smiled softly up at him, “Just don’t go. I like it when you’re here.”</p><p>“I like it when I’m here too,” Bellamy returned the smile full force, “Oh god, did I just say that about the Slytherin common room?”</p><p>Bellamy smiled at his joke but Clarke laughed so hard she ended up snorting. It made them both die laughing and Bellamy tense his arms around her. When the laughter had subsided, they were wrapped around each other on the common room couch. Bellamy’s arms clutched her to the side of his body, and her leg was thrown over his own. Bellamy would feel obscene about the position but almost no one was in the common room anymore. The exploding snap game had broken up and there was only a few people by the fire, Octavia included among them. “I need to wait for O to go to bed,” Bellamy said out loud to Clarke. She tightened her arm around his waist and hummed into his shoulder in agreement. Thank god she didn’t mind his protective streak, would’ve been weird to have to wait in the common room alone for Octavia to leave her friends. Eventually, after Clarke had closed her eyes and Bellamy had begun staring into the fire, Octavia walked towards them.</p><p>“Hey losers,” her eyes were red and her vision slurred, but Bellamy didn’t mention it. Her friends had all begun to leave for their respective dormitories, most of them toward the hallway that led deeper into the dungeons towards the beds but some went out through the door into the castle. Bellamy didn’t want to even think about where they were going this late after curvew. He reminded himself he had taken the night off.</p><p>“Hey bug,” Clarke said to Octavia without shifting from his shoulder. Honestly, Bellamy thought she was asleep. He tighented his hold around her, not ready to give her up for the night. Octavia smiled at him knowingly, she had an evil glint in her eye and he gave her a warning look back. She shrugged and said, “Ya know, If you’re gonna have such a problem with how I dress. You might want to set a better example. Cuddled on the couch in the common room is a little scandalous.”</p><p>Clarke began to sit up and Bellamy had to let her. He was annoyed, “Well, at least we’re wearing our clothes.” Octavia stuck her tongue out at him.</p><p>“Oh shut up,” Clarke admonished both of them then she focused on Bellamy. Maybe she actually did go to sleep because she looks a lot more sober than she did an hour ago, “You should probably get going.”</p><p>Octavia took that as her que to walk away, “Bye, lovebirds.”</p><p>“O!” Bellamy call after her imprudently. He then added, “We’re talking about your outfit tomorrow.”</p><p>She waved her hand at him. Clarke just giggled and leaned back on the couch. Obviously finding this whole thing a lot funnier than he did.  She got up and took his hand to pull him up. He let himself be wretched up to his feet. Although she was more sober, she was not sober enough to be hauling a man almost double her own size up with her and they both almost tumbled towards the coffee table. Bellamy steadied them with his hand on her back.</p><p>“Sorry,” He straightened them out but kept his hand firmly on her spine and pushed her up against him. He went to let go, but he paused. Her eyes were blown wide and staring up at him. She didn’t say a word. Bellamy moved his hand away from her back to cup the side of her waist. He held her there and continued staring into her eyes. Maybe it was just the firewhiskey shooting straight up into his head but Clarke was giving him a dark look he’d never seen in her eyes before. The blue orbs flickered down to the scar above his lip and then flitted back to his own brown eyes.</p><p>But he wasn’t looking at her eyes anymore. He was looking at the lip that was hesitantly being bitten softly by her teeth. Her lipgloss from the night had worn off long ago and now it was the same natural and perfect pink that Bellamy was accustomed to. He wanted to capture that lip between his own teeth and savor it. Savor her.</p><p>He moved his hand back to the bottom of her spine, any lower and he would’ve been ghosting his finger tips on her ass. She was pressed impossibly closer to him.</p><p>“Bellamy,” she whispered his name into the space between them. Bellamy couldn’t let her stop. In his drunken haze he let himself stop thinking. He’d never been this close before. He cupped her face with his other hand, and slowly began moving in. Giving her enough time to react and move away, but still keeping her firmly pressed against him. When he was a millisecond away, he stopped. There was a pause and then Clarke gasped out the breath she was holding, and Bellamy caught it in a kiss. He held her jawline firmly and welcomed her into his arms.</p><p>Clarke wrapped her own thin arms around his waist and bunched the back of his shirt tightly. She responded in full force, almost tackling him back onto the sofa. Bellamy broke out for air and Clarke was there with her eyes closed. Bellamy got to see her open her eyes back up and stare directly into his own. Her Bellamy. His Clarke.</p><p>He let go of her. This was <em>Clarke</em>. And she was drunk, hell he was drunk. “I should go.” Bellamy let his arms fall away from her. She blinked suddenly a few times before untangling herself from him.</p><p>“Right,” Her lips were bright red and there was a red mark from where he had cupped her jaw while they, while they <em>kissed</em>. Jesus, her hair was still uneven from when she had rested on his shoulder before. “Right,” she said again.</p><p>“So,” He grabbed his robe hastily from where they were strewn on the couch. “You’re good to get back to your room?”</p><p> “I’m fine.” Clarke toned out. She seemed annoyed. <em>Well, of course she’s annoyed.</em> Bellamy thought to himself. <em>You just fucking attacked her. Your best friend! Great going</em>.</p><p>“Then I’m gonna go,” Bellamy said already halfway out the door, “I’ll uh, I’ll see you tomorrow.”</p><p>He left Clarke standing there stunned. The next second he was outside of the common room. Bellamy rested his forehead against the stone wall. <em>How could he have been so stupid?</em></p><p>And Clarke, well Clarke only had one thought pounding through her head: <em>What the fuck? </em></p><p> ***</p><p>            Clarke woke up the next morning just as confused as she was the night before. After laying in bed and playing the scene in her mind too many times to count she realized that she could not have made it up. Bellamy was the one who kissed her, and then he ran away right afterwards. Once again, <em>What the fuck? </em></p><p>It’s not on her, but for some reason she feels like it’s her fault. She was definitely giving him the eyes. Last night was different, they were different. They acted the same as they always do but it felt so much more intense.</p><p>            And Clarke liked it. It was different, and not what she expected but it felt right. But this was insane. INSANE. This was Bellamy. One of, if not her closest, best friends. She needed to talk to Raven. Clarke rolled out of bed, threw on whatever comfy clothes were closest to her, and began her hike up to the Ravenclaw tower. She passed the Great Hall on her way in and no one was in there. Looks like everyone is still recovering from Halloween celebrations the night before. Clarke herself has the beginning onset of a headache but it should go away after she eats some food. Her and Raven had plans to go to the library this afternoon but this was more pressing.</p><p>            Clarke eventually got to the statue of the Raven that blocked the portrait hole. Sometimes Raven just had her guess the clue that let her in herself, but Clarke didn’t like letting herself in uninvited. Especially to another house’s common room. She sat on the wall across from the statue and waited for a Ravenclaw girl to persuade to get Raven. The headache was now pounding on her skull. This was an emergency and Clarke couldn’t even talk to her best friends? Wizards really had to get a better way to communicate rather than just owls. Finally, a first year girl and boy came out of he portrait hole. Clarke scrambled to her feet.</p><p>            “Hey,” She said stopping them in their tracks. They huddled closer together in light of the older Slytherin. Clarke mentally rolled her eyes, “Would you be able to get someone in there for me? It’s really important.”</p><p>            “Who?” The little boy questioned.</p><p>            “Well, my friend Raven.” Clarke said turning toward the girl. Recollection had sparkled in her eyes, “She might still be in bed though.”</p><p>            The little Ravenclaws eyes widened, “You want me to wake<em> her</em> up?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Clarke shrugged, “I’ll give ya a chocolate frog?”</p><p>            “No way,” the little boy said at the same time as the girl mumbled that Raven was scary.</p><p>            “It’s okay.” Clarke frowned. She had already been waiting for too long, “What if I gave you a whole box of chocolate frogs?” The little boys eyes widened and he nodded his head at the girl.<em> Great</em>, Clarke thought to herself, <em>I’ve started luring kids with chocolate. What could go wrong?</em></p><p>            The little girl huffed as if Clarke was asking for a massive favor rather than just to go upstairs and get Raven. She walked back into the open statue door and left the boy with Clarke, “She’s getting her.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled ruefully at him before leaning back against the wall and assuming the position that they found her in, “I’ll give you guys the frogs soon. I need to order them.”</p><p>            The boy scowled but nodded. They both knew that they were not going to be receiving the chocolate frogs anytime soon. The unlikely pair sat in silence for a beat too long before Raven came out of the hole into the common room in her slippers and a scowl on her face.</p><p>            “This better be good,” Clarke smiled at her and raised her arms to be brought up, “You look like shit.”</p><p>            Clarke laughed at her friend’s bluntness and then thanked the kids before Raven pulled her into the midnight blue of the Ravenclaw common room.</p><p>            “Okay spill,” Raven said dropping her onto the couch, “Quickly I need to change and get some breakfast.”</p><p>            “How was the Ravenclaw party?” Now that Clarke finally got to her she almost didn’t even want to share the mistake.</p><p>            “Can it Griffin,” Raven cut her way through the bullshit, “Tell me.”</p><p>            “Okay, so” Clarke started, “Bellamy came to the Slytherin party last night.” Raven looked at her expectantly, “And well we drank a lot of firewhiskey and like one thing lead to another and”</p><p>            “Oh my god,” Raven broke in, her jaw was dropped, “You two fucked?”</p><p>            Clarke cried, “Jesus Raven! NO, We kissed.”</p><p>            “Oh,” Raven pouted, “wait you guys haven’t kissed yet?” Clarke was gob smacked. Of course they haven’t kissed yet. “Sorry I just thought y’all had already kissed. You act like an old married couple already.”</p><p>            “No,” Clarke retorted, “We act like friends.”</p><p>            Raven gave her a knowing look that only a best friend can give, “Do you want to be friends with him?”</p><p>            “What do you mean? Of course. I love him.”</p><p>            “No,” Raven spoke as if to a child, “Do you <em>love</em> him?”</p><p>Clarke stopped short. Clarke had never thought about it. Bellamy was always just Bellamy. She was Clarke. Together they were a team, they always have been. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him. But did she <em>love</em> him? There was a pregnant pause in which Raven smiled at her sadly, “Clarke that’s your answer.” They sat on the couch for a second just staring into the dark charcoal within the fireplace while Clarke began processing her feelings. Finally letting herself think about what it really meant to <em>love </em>Bellamy. She couldn’t actually love him, but if she was honest with herself. She liked him more than she realized. Last night was proof of that.</p><p>Raven pulled her to her feet. “C’mon. I need to change and you need some food. I can just tell you’re hungover.” Clarke let herself be dragged by Raven up to her dormitory. How could she love Bellamy and not even realize it?</p><p>***</p><p>            Bellamy awoke with a start. The feeling of Clarkes nails dragging across his back from his dream was still ghosting along his skin. He needed a cold shower.</p><p>            Under the beats of the droplets he began to replay the dream across his mind. Or not the dream, but what came before it. Clarke’s breasts pressed against him and his arms wrapped around her back. Her mouth welcoming his tongue before he stopped himself. This was his <em>best</em> friend. Sure, Miller was good, but he didn’t talk enough. And his little sister couldn’t be his best friend. Especially when she talks too much. Clarke listened to him and he never wanted to stop listening to her. She was his world. Thank god he accidentally hit her in the face with that quaffle because now she’s been a presence in his life ever since. <em>I can’t believe I could’ve screwed that up?</em> Bellamy thought to himself. Clarke was too important just to be a drunken mistake. She meant too much. He switched off the water hurriedly and dried off before placing the clean jumper and jeans on. He couldn’t bother with robes today when all he needed to do was find Clarke and explain that he was sorry. That he made a mistake and that he couldn’t lose her.</p><p>            He began his trek to the Great Hall. He thought he saw something in Clarke’s eyes, but after the kiss the horror was too prevalent across her face. She was too drunk. He was too drunk, but she was drunker. He took advantage of her. Just because he stopped it before it got too intense does not change that fact. He had no right. Clarke might only be a little over a year younger than him but it didn’t matter. He was older, supposed to be goddamn wiser.</p><p>            <em>How could he be such an idiot?</em> If Octavia was that drunk and he caught someone kissing her it would be inexcusable. He just needed to find Clarke and fix this. She was too important to lose. It doesn’t matter what he was feeling in the moment. He walked toward the Great Hall. Bellamy knows that the first thing that Clarke wants when she wakes up with a hangover is greasy breakfast food. He spots her sitting at the Ravenclaw table with a finished plate and Raven across from her.</p><p>            Bellamy begins moving towards her, Raven sees him coming and tells Clarke. Her eyes shoot up to him and then abruptly back down to her plate. It makes his feet falter before speeding up to get to the table. He can’t lose her. Bellamy straddles the bench next to her at a reasonable distance, “Hey Raven,” she slightly waves her hand at him as she finishes chewing her eggs. “Clarke,” He nods at her giving her his full attention. She smiles at him quickly before using a fork to press down on the bits of egg stuck to her plate. Bellamy hates this. “We need to talk,” he whispers hoping Raven doesn’t hear.</p><p>            “And that’s my clue,” She abruptly stands up, putting the remaining bacon into her mouth. Neither one of them react as she saunters out of the gym.</p><p>            “Clarke,” Bellamy says. She still hasn’t looked at him, “I’m sorry.” That got her blue eyes to dart directly onto his face.</p><p>            “What?” Clarke said incredulously.</p><p>            “I’m sorry,” Bellamy repeated, “I’m an idiot. I was drunk. You were too drunk. I shouldn’t have done that. I should’ve had more control.”</p><p>            “Control of what?” Clarke said solemnly, not taking his apology.</p><p>            “Of the situation,” Bellamy said, imploring her to believe him. “If someone did that to Octavia, I’d hex them out of the castle.” <em>Oh,</em> Clarke thought to herself, <em>he thinks of her as his sister. How could she be so stupid? </em></p><p>“Bellamy there were two of us.” I wanted it. Clarke wanted to say, but she couldn’t get the words out of her throat.</p><p>“Two very drunk people,” Bellamy looked at her sadly, “I crossed a line and I’m sorry. I don’t want this to change things between us.”</p><p>            <em>Well, that’s a sucker punch to the chest. </em>She smiled at him anyway, “Nothing will change. You’re too important to me.”</p><p>            Bellamy smiled boyishly at her and her heart dropped into her stomach. Ya, she loved him. But she needed him more right now. “Clarke,” he said grabbing her hand that was clutching the fork. Clarke relaxed her muscles and stared at their intertwined hands. Bellamy was searching through her face, “I can’t lose you. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”</p><p>            Her heart broke inside but she smiled at him and intertwined their fingers, “Friends.”</p><p>***</p><p>“You’re an idiot,” Raven said as Clarke collapsed onto the brunette’s four poster bed. Clarke screamed into one of Raven’s pillows.</p><p>            “Can’t you support me in this?” Clarke looked up at her.</p><p>            “No, You’re being an idiot,” Raven repeated. “Clarke, you like him. But you want to be friends with him. Being friends actually means hanging out.”</p><p>            It had been weeks since Clarke and Bellamy kissed on Halloween and had their talk about staying friends. Nothing else had happened in the time span except for a few extremely awkward encounters while spending time together. Clarke couldn’t remember how to be his friend anymore. Every time she sees him she can’t stop thinking about their kiss. About how his hand felt clutching her back and the wisp of his fingers grasping her jaw. All he wanted was for everything to be exactly the same and it wasn’t. Clarke couldn’t handle that it wasn’t. She missed her best friend, but she didn’t know how to be around him.</p><p>            “Raven,” Clarke sighed, “It’s not that simple.”</p><p>            “Because you know what is simple?” Raven exclaimed while throwing off her robes and putting on a sweater, “Going out with the boy you like! Not doing this weirdly heroic thing that is one hundred percent not heroic and actually just makes you miserable.” Clarke sighed dramatically again and Raven threw her skirt at her.</p><p>            “We can’t, we”</p><p>            “Whatever,” Raven sighs already in her clothes to go to Hogsmead with her suitemates in. Clarke and Bellamy usually spend Hogsmead weekends lounging around the castle together. Clarke, because she doesn’t actually really enjoy going to Hogsmead, and Bellamy stays in the castle because most times he ends up just giving the money his mother sends him to Octavia for her day.</p><p>            Gryffindors always have to be noble. Usually it’s one of Clarke’s favorite days anyway. The pair just lounge in pajamas in the Gryffindor common room and relax while everyone’s away. This year though Clarke doesn’t know if she can spend a whole day with him. It’s hard enough to spend time with him throughout the day with a full castle, but today when it’s empty and they’re alone. What is she gonna do about that?</p><p>            Raven begins describing in detail what she should do about that and it does NOT help. Clarke squeals and buries herself under Ravens blue covers. Raven climbs into the bed above her and lays on her lump of a body. She untucks Clarke’s heads from her hiding spot under the blanket and gives her a kiss on the forehead, “You’ll figure it out kid.” They sit in silence for awhile. “Now, I need to go. And you need to find Bellamy. He’s probably already looking for you.”</p><p>***</p><p>            Bellamy wasn’t looking for her though. Instead he was waiting in the Great Hall for Clarke to come to him. She’s been so weird the last few weeks and Bellamy doesn’t want to push her. Being around her and already knowing what her lips feel like has been much harder than Bellamy could have ever predicted. Nevertheless, he was excited about today. He missed her. Not hanging out with Clarke in weeks was unheard of to him. It was going to be extremely awkward, just like every time that they have hung out since the incident. But Bellamy didn’t care. He didn’t want anything to change between them, but it couldn’t feel more different.</p><p>            She was acting so weird, which makes sense. Bellamy decided to just give her space until she felt comfortable around him, but that wasn’t working. It seems like she isn’t going to feel comfortable around him and Bellamy can’t have that. These last few weeks have sucked but it would ruin the rest of the year if he didn’t have Clarke on his side.</p><p>            The dreams were a whole other problem as well. They would start with him and Clarke just in the Slytherin common room or walking around the grounds and end with him pushing her up against a wall somewhere. All that ever happens is the kiss, but he can’t get it out of his head.</p><p>            “Hey,” Clarke said from behind him. It made him start. He turned his attention to her and willed his cheeks not to tint the slightest pink.</p><p>            “Hey,” he said instead and raised a goblet of pumpkin juice, “Fancy some lunch?”</p><p>            Clarke smiled at him and walked to the other side of the table, “Yeah sure.”</p><p>            “So,” Bellamy tried to make small talk while she piled food onto her plate, “Raven left already?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Clarke said not making eye contact. They fell into silence then. Not a comfortable one, but one uncomfortable. Before all this Bellamy didn’t realize how much of their relationship was her talking and him listening or them arguing mindlessly. Now it was too polite to even think about them doing that. They weren’t the same. He hated it.</p><p>            “What do you wanna do today?” Bellamy broke the silence. Clarke shrugged and mumbled a small whatever, “Well, thanks for staying with me today.”</p><p>            She looked up at that, “I always stay with you.”</p><p>            “Yeah well with the,” Bellamy stopped. They haven’t talked about what happened and he wasn’t going to bring it up now. The silence now was deafening.</p><p>            “What about a walk around the grounds?” Clarke squeaked to break it.</p><p>            “Yes, yes,” Bellamy agreed, “That’s perfect.”</p><p>            “Okay then,” Clarke said pushing her already finished plate in front of her, “Let’s go then.”</p><p>            On the walk out of the Great Hall Bellamy followed. The pair were silent again but it was comfortable this time, both with a destination in mind. They began their walk by the Green Houses; Bellamy always liked to smell the flowers. They were not in bloom now though, seems like in the last month they had missed their shot. Bellamy began steering them toward the lake. There was no snow on the ground yet but there was a chill in the air that told it would be arriving any day now. The misty lake air and a breeze wafting from the forest hit the pair as they walked. Clarke began to shiver but hid it by stepping closer to Bellamy’s tall frame for protection against the wind. All she had worn was a thin sweater under her robes.</p><p>            “Are you cold?” Bellamy asked already untying the clasp at the top of his robes.</p><p>            “No, I’m okay,” Clarke insisted pulling her robes closer to her.</p><p>            Bellamy stopped their movements and draped his own around her shoulders, “I have a jacket on anyway.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled up at him and wrapped herself in his oversized robes, “I forgot to bring a jacket with me to school.”</p><p>            “What?” Bellamy laughed, “You didn’t think you would need one in December?”</p><p>            Clarke side stepped into his path, “No, I just forgot it. My mom wants me to come for a weekend at the end of November. Meet Kane. I thought I would just grab it then.”</p><p>            “Don’t you already know him?”</p><p>            “That’s what I said,” Clarke said exasperated, “But she says she wants me to meet him as her boyfriend, not as her work friend.”</p><p>            “Which is idiotic.”</p><p>            “Yes!” Clarke said launching into her tangent. Bellamy missed this. “And now I have to miss a weekend at Hogwarts because she doesn’t want the first time I see him to be at Christmastime. Which by the way, It’s gonna be my first Christmas without my dad. And now she wants him to come to Christmas?”</p><p>She raised her eyebrows at Bellamy and he knew this was the time to nod, so he did, “Dick move.”</p><p>            “Fucking dick move. I don’t know, I told her that I didn’t mind coming up for a weekend as long as I don’t miss Quidditch.”</p><p>            Bellamy barked out a laugh, “I love the dedication.”</p><p>            She smiled blindingly at him. They were almost done with their loop around the grounds, “I’m going next weekend.”</p><p>            “Soon.”</p><p>            “Sooner it’s over the better,” Clarke grimaced, “I might not be able to change it but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.” She began walking towards the Greenhouses again.</p><p>            “Hey,” he said from behind her. She hadn’t realized he stopped, “Wanna go to the Gryffindor common room?”</p><p>            She opened her mouth but hesitated for a second. Clarke shut her mouth again and opened it up again, “Sure.”</p><p>            “Good,” Bellamy said taking his hands out of his pockets and rubbing them together, “Because I’m fucking freezing.”</p><p>            Clarke huffed and began pulling off his robes, “You asshole. You should’ve taken this back.”</p><p>            “I’ll survive,” Bellamy didn’t want to take the robe back from her until they were inside the warmth of the castle but they were almost there anyway, “I just need a warm fireplace.”</p><p>            “And I know where to find one,” Clarke smiled mischievously at him.</p><p>***</p><p>            The Gryffindor common room was doused in red and gold like always, but was considerably less crowded than usual. Even on Hogsmead weekends the love seat in front of the fireplace usually had occupants but today it was empty. The only inhabitant in the common room was a 3<sup>rd</sup> year Gryffindor girl reading a book by the window sill.</p><p>            Bellamy took out his wand and produced a flame to place in the grate. “Show off,” Clarke said as she sat down and slid her feet underneath her. Bellamy sat down next to her and hunched over to be closer to the fire. They both starred into the flames. Clarkes’ arms were tucked into her body. Usually they were able to just relax together. Spend time doing nothing. Clarke would put her head on his chest, or his in her lap. Maybe they would read a book. Bellamy wanted that. He wanted to be able to hold her the way he always could.</p><p>            “This is weird,” He voiced the thought out loud as he stared into the amber of the flames.</p><p>            “What do you mean?” Clarke said, he could feel her eyes on his profile.</p><p>            He looked at her straight on, “Ever since the kiss we’ve been weird. You’ve been weird.”</p><p>            Her jaw dropped a little. Bellamy’s eyes fell to her lips. It was for a beat too long before going up to her eyes again. The embarrassment darkened her cheeks and she felt a familiar anger course through her veins, “Well, you fucking kissed me.”</p><p>            Bellamy looked chagrined, “We were drunk.”</p><p>            “Yeah Bellamy,” Clarke said, “And then we never talked about it.”</p><p>            “It was a mistake.”</p><p>            “Bellamy!” Clarke yelled. They were finally making eye contact but it wasn’t calm. There was a fire pulsing through Clarke that shot daggers into Bellamy’s eyes. The 3<sup>rd</sup> year girl in the corner got up and began walking toward the entrance for the common room. Bellamy and Clarke waited silently for her to leave. “It might’ve been a mistake but it happened. You can’t just take it back.”</p><p>            “Why not?” Bellamy retorted back angling his body to hers.</p><p>            “You can’t kiss me like that and just expect that I can forget about it.”</p><p>            That took Bellamy back, “What do you mean?”</p><p>            “Damn Bellamy,” Clarke exhaled, “You can be really thick.” He opened his mouth to speak again but Clarke did before he could, “It was a mistake but we both made it. I chose to kiss you too.”</p><p>            “You were too drunk. You were asleep minutes before it happened,” Bellamy said shaking his head. He didn’t know if he was trying to convince her or himself.</p><p>            “Bell, I wasn’t too drunk. I knew what I was doing.”</p><p>            “Fucking shit Clarke,” Bellamy said angrily and got up, “Can’t you tell? I didn’t know what I was doing!” He began to pace. Clarke was taken aback.</p><p>            “Are you saying I forced you?” Clarke got uncontrollably sadder. Is that what happened?</p><p>            “No,” Bellamy stopped pacing and looked at her dead on from in front of the fire. He glowed from the shadows of the flames, “No, not at all. I just wasn’t thinking. You’re my best friend, Clarke.”</p><p>            “And you’re mine,” Clarke’s voice broke, she could NOT cry right now. They were finally talking.</p><p>            “I can’t lose you. I almost lost you,” Bellamy sounded so broken in a way he never had. It pierced Clarke’s heart with sadness, but it quickly flowed into anger. Clarke felt like her emotions were coursing through her like a tidal wave, never knowing what the next wave brought with it.</p><p>“Well,” Clarke stood up to match him, “You’re gonna lose me anyway if you don’t give me some time.” She started to walk away.</p><p>            “Clarke,” Bellamy rounded the couch to grab her arm and make her stop. She flinched out of his grasp. He let his arm fall to rest at his side and clenched his fist. She continued walking away from him, this can’t possibly be the end.</p><p>            “No, Bellamy.” She left the portrait hole and it slammed shut behind her. Bellamy was left all alone in the common room.</p><p>***</p><p>            The next few days went by in a blur. Before the fight they might not have been hanging out as much but they were still talking when they saw each other in the corridors. She still smiled at him from across the Great Hall during meal times. She was still his Clarke just different. Now, he barely sees her. He thinks that she began taking a different way to her classes so that she didn’t have to see him. She sits with her back turned to the Gryffindor table during meal times. Bellamy debated asking Octavia to check up on her for him. See how she was, but Clarke would hate that. And he would have to tell Octavia what happened between him and Clarke. His sister would never let him live it down. No, he can’t tell Octavia. He can’t talk to anybody. Clarke was his person that he went to for everything.</p><p>            Bellamy spent his time thinking about her and what he could say to make it up to her. He was an idiot. Just like she said, he couldn’t think of a way in this situation he wasn’t at fault. He was the one who kissed her; He was the one who said they should forget about it; He was the one who pushed her. And now he was the one who couldn’t forget about it. He couldn’t forget about the way her body felt against his, and how her lips felt under him.</p><p>            He needed to talk to someone, but right now beating up this literal punching bag was worth it. The Quidditch team were doing circuits of different workouts for practice today since they didn’t have a match this weekend. Instead Ravenclaw were playing Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams would take a weekend off. Usually this match was one of his favorites because it was the one that Clarke and him could go to together, but now she wasn’t even going to be on the grounds. Not that she would go with him anyway, Bellamy hit the bag harder knocking Miller back a little from where he was holding it steady. He raised his eyebrows at Bellamy but didn’t say anything.</p><p>            Bellamy didn’t even want to see the match without Clarke, but let’s be real. The Quidditch matches were one of the only social things that Bellamy could reasonably squeeze into his schedule sometimes. He didn’t want to miss out on it. “Hey Miller,” Bellamy said taking a break from hitting the punching bag to wipe sweat from his brow. He pushed his matted hair away from his forehead as well, “Wanna go to the Quidditch match together?”</p><p>            Miller looked at him funnily, “I’m going with Sterling.” Oh right, Miller’s boyfriend only goes to the Quidditch matches for his house, Hufflepuff, and Miller usually goes with him when he can; Bellamy forgot.</p><p>            “All good,” He aimed a harder punch at the bag.</p><p>            “You’re not going with Clarke?”</p><p>            “No,” Bellamy grunted, “She’s leaving the grounds for home this weekend.” He paused, “Even if she was here, she wouldn’t go with me. We’re uh, not talking.”</p><p>            “What?” Miller asked, “Why not?”</p><p>            Bellamy didn’t blame him for being shocked. Clarke and him always fought but they never weren’t talking, “We had a fight.”</p><p>            “No, shit,” Miller deadpanned, “What did you do?” Bellamy threw all his weight into the next punch and Miller was pushed back a step.</p><p>            “Well I, nothing,” Bellamy said unconvincingly. Miller gave him a look, “We kissed.”</p><p>            With his eyebrows raised in disbelief Miller said, “And now you’re not talking? Why aren’t you kissing some more?”</p><p>            Bellamy furrowed his brows, “She’s my best friend.”</p><p>            “Well that’s the best kinda kissing idiot,” Miller said emphatically, “Switch with me.” The pair switched so that Bellamy was holding the bag and Miller was the one who could focus on punching.</p><p>            “It’s not that easy,” Bellamy continued the conversation, “She’s Clarke.”</p><p>            “And you’re Bellamy,” Miller said easily. Bellamy was silent for too long, “Bell, what happened after you kissed her? She run away screaming?”</p><p>            Bellamy gave him a look, “No, well, I pulled away.”</p><p>            “And then?”</p><p>            “Well, I realized I was kissing her,” Bellamy said and then added as an afterthought, “we were wasted.”</p><p>            “Assumed.”</p><p>            “Yeah anyway,” Bellamy continued. It was good talking about this to someone. Even if it was in the sweaty Gryffindor locker room. “I stopped and sorta like left?”</p><p>            Miller laughed and Bellamy didn’t appreciate it, “What do you mean left?”</p><p>            “I left, I walked back to the dormitory.”</p><p>            “Jesus Bellamy,” Miller laughed. Bellamy knew this was gonna happen, “I know you have game, and that’s just pathetic.”</p><p>            “But those birds weren’t Clarke!” Bellamy tried to make up for himself.</p><p>            “Yeah exactly,” Miller said grunting while punching the bag, “It didn’t matter with those birds if you ran off cause you didn’t have to talk to them anymore. With Clarke it’s going to be weird if you kiss. Weirder if you just run off like you did.”</p><p>            “Well, that’s what I didn’t want. So I talked to her the next morning.”</p><p>            “Wait when did this happen?” Miller said pausing to take a sip out of his water bottle.</p><p>            “Halloween.”</p><p>            “Jesus, Bellamy,” Miller smiled at him, “Really holding out on me. That was weeks ago.”</p><p>            “Yeah well,” Bellamy put a hand on the back of his neck before realizing the sweat made that disgusting and wiped his hands on his training shirt instead, “I thought we could just like move past it.” Miller raised his eyebrows. Bellamy smiled sheepishly, “Yeah bad plan. Then on Sunday Clarke and I got into a fight and now we’re not speaking.”</p><p>            “What did you fight about?” They were just standing around now. If Monroe, their captain saw them she would scream at them, even if they were the two senior members of the team. Bellamy went to sip his own water bottle to make it look like they were doing something.</p><p>            “I said things were weird and she got pissed at me.”</p><p>            Miller laughed at him again, “You’re so thick.”</p><p>            “I know, But she was the one who left in the middle of the argument!” Bellamy exclaimed, “Said I was going to lose her anyway if I didn’t give her time to get over it.”</p><p>            “Get over it?” Miller furrowed his brows, “Wait did Clarke want to forget about the kiss?”</p><p>            “Of course, we’re friends.” Bellamy looked at him confused and Miller shook his head.</p><p>            “No Bellamy, Did she ever say that she wanted to forget about you kissing?”</p><p>            Bellamy thought about it, everything seemed so jumbled, “I mean she definitely agreed?” But he wasn’t sure.</p><p>            “Do you think there’s a possibility that Clarke doesn’t want to be friends?”</p><p>            “Well yeah,” Bellamy gave him a look, “She said I was going to lose her.”</p><p>            Miller rolled his eyes dramatically and gave him a look. He felt like a first year who couldn’t perform a sticking charm. “No idiot,” Miller said, “Does she want to be more than friends?”</p><p>            Bellamy stared at him. The thought hadn’t crossed his mind. Why would Clarke want to be more than friends with <em>him</em>? Had she ever made it seem like she did? Well, he had made it seem like he wanted it. He had been the one to kiss her and he couldn’t get her out of his head even now. Did he want that? He didn’t even think that was an option.</p><p>            Monroe yelled to switch stations and next was Miller and him on the pitch working on broom handling skills. Miller gave him a knowing look and patted him on the back. On the jog out to the pitch Miller side eyed a look at him, “If ya want you can come to the game on Saturday with Sterling and I. But dude, be a Gryffindor.”</p><p>            Bellamy shoved him, picked up his broom, and shot up into the sky. He had a lot to think about.</p><p>            **</p><p>            Clarke didn’t know what to do. She missed him. And this past weekend with her mom was terrible. She needed to talk to someone about it. Raven was always on her mom’s side, which was okay but increasingly more annoying. Usually she just didn’t complain about her mom to her and did to Bellamy but now it was awkward. She knows she told Bellamy that he was going to lose her, but actually she couldn’t lose him. Hogwarts wasn’t the same without him. She knows where he patrols the corridors alone on Mondays, and she didn’t care anymore. She missed him. Even if that makes her weak and falling all over him. It had been a month since they were friends they way they were, and it hurts her heart to not have him at all. She’ll just bring a Transfiguration book into one of the side hallways that he frequents.</p><p>            Before she lost her nerve, she grabbed her book and set out from the common room. It was a good thing she wasn’t a Hufflepuff or something because the Slytherins are very good about not snitching on the others. Gryffindor might be the house of loyalty but Slytherins had a community of those that knew the importance of inner house loyalty and that was one of the best parts about it. Might mean they had less Head Boys and Girls than the other houses, but who cares.</p><p>            Clarke rested on the ground in a hallway she knows Bellamy is going to walk through. Hopefully he comes before Peeves does. Clarke tries to read through her transfiguration textbook but the already confusing material is jumbling together in a way that she does not understand.</p><p>            “Griffin,” his deep voice calls from down the hallway shocked. He begins striding towards her, “You okay?”</p><p>            She smiled at him and said sheepishly while standing up, “Needed some transfiguration help?”</p><p>            He paused and looked through her in a way only he could. Instead of saying anything he hugged her randomly. She was shocked but wrapped her arms around his middle and burrowed her head into his chest. His arms were always the most comfortable she had felt and if hugs were all she could get from him, she’d take it. “I missed you,” he mumbled into the space between them.</p><p>            Her arms tighented him and she breathed out, “I missed you too.” He placed a chaste kiss to the top of her head and stepped back.</p><p>            “You know I’m not going to be a big help with transfiguration,” he mussed his hair and smirked at her.</p><p>            “Shut up Bellamy,” she shook her head at him, “We both know you’re the best in your year. My shit should be a piece of cake for you.”</p><p>            He smiled at her. The scar above his lip stretched white like only a true smile could when it graced his face, “We should probably get a piece of cake to work on it then.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled, “I would never turn down a piece of cake.”</p><p>            “I know you wouldn’t,” he grabbed the textbook out of her hands and began walking before she could realize what happened, “Let’s go.”</p><p>            “Bell,” Clarke said catching up to him, “I can carry that!”</p><p>            “You don’t have to though. That’s the best part of having your best friend here.”</p><p>            “I thought the best part was getting cake after curfew?” Clarke teased and fell into step with him.</p><p>            “I have many good qualities,” he said humbly. There was a new pep in his step that he hadn’t felt in a month. They got to the kitchen in record time and he used his free hand to tap on the wood.</p><p>Patty the house elf answered the door again. “I was wondering when I was going to see you kids again,” she squeaked with a crooked smile on her face.</p><p>“Yeah we’re back,” Clarke answered with a smile on her face.</p><p>            “And we were wondering what cake you had left over from dinner?” Bellamy added. Patty left them without a word to check in the back of the kitchens. Bellamy wrapped the free arm around Clarke and pulled her into his side. It was crazy how much he missed this.</p><p>            “We have carrot cake and pumpkin bread with vanilla icing,” Patty called from somewhere inside the kitchen. Clarke looked up at him and wrinkled her nose at the carrot cake.</p><p>            “How about one big slice of the pumpkin bread with vanilla icing? With two forks?” Clarke nodded underneath him.</p><p>            “Okay,” the elf cried. They heard some dishes clattering before she came back out with a piece of pumpkin bread plated with fresh icing on top, “I can come get it tomorrow!” Patty said happily.</p><p>            “We can bring it back!” Clarke reminded her again, “We’ll just be down the hall.” The elf nodded and smiled at them.</p><p>            “Okay!” She squeaked, “Good to see you! Don’t be strangers.” The door to the kitchen was closed and the pair walked in tandem to their usual classroom. This time there was a couple girls making out on their couch when they walked in. One of them Hufflepuff and one Gryffindor. Clarke averted her eyes by turning around to hide the cake they were going to share while Bellamy cleared his throat.</p><p>            The pair broke apart suddenly and stared up at the Head Boy in horror. Bellamy smiled at them, “If you go back to your common room now I won’t take points off.”</p><p>            The Hufflepuff girl spoke up from the couch, “So that you two can just take this couch and make out yourselves?” The Gryffindor shushed her.</p><p>            Then she said, “Sorry Bellamy, we’ll go.”</p><p>            “It’s okay. I would be annoyed too.” The pair began leaving and Clarke had to stifle her laughter at the antics. Bellamy continued to the Hufflepuff as they left, “Good game though Robyn. You did great as chaser.”</p><p>            The Hufflepuff smiled at him, “I’ll do better when we play Gryffindor in the spring.”</p><p>            Bellamy laughed at that and Clarke couldn’t stifle her own, “I’ll be watching out for it.”</p><p>            The Gryffindor girl pulled her partner out of the room which a wave to Bellamy. Clarke turned around and let out a full laugh, “And that’s why you’re head boy.”</p><p>            “What?” Bellamy said confused, “Not docking points when people are breaking the rules?” Clarke walked over to the vacant couch and sat down with the cake and began eating. Bellamy pulled a chair over to the couch and sat on it backwards to face Clarke.</p><p>            “No,” she continued, “Because Maya is there for that. You’re just nice to people. They listen to you anyway.”</p><p>            He spooned the carrot cake into his mouth, “Tell that to Octavia.”</p><p>            “That’s different,” Clarke said pointing her spoon at him, “You’re her big brother.”</p><p>            He hummed, “I think she’s dating that Atom kid.”</p><p>            “She is.”</p><p>            Bellamy’s eyes got wide, “What? Are you serious?”</p><p>            “Oh, don’t get crazy,” Clarke sighed, “She’s a big girl.”</p><p>            “She’s my little sister,” Bellamy said.</p><p>            Clarke waved her hands and gave him a knowing look, “She’s only a year younger than me.”</p><p>            He paused and looked at her. Should he really get into this? He had to say it anyway, “I’m sorry.” Clarke began chewing her pumpkin bread slower and placed her spoon onto the plate in Bellamy’s outstretched hand. Her transfiguration textbook forgotten on the table behind him. “Not about kissing you,” he continued, “But about what I said. It wasn’t fair.”</p><p>            “It wasn’t,” Clarke agreed, “But I forgive you. I’m done with that. I just miss my friend.”</p><p>            Bellamy smiled softly at her and placed the plate on the table and grabbed the book. He sat down next to her on the couch as her eyes followed him the whole way. Bellamy pulled her into his chest and sprawled his legs out in front of the couch with the book on his other side. She settled onto his chest and wrapped her arms around him. “You don’t even know how much I missed my friend too,” he said squeezing her shoulder. He pulled away from the hug though, “But to be a good friend I have to make sure you pass Transfiguration. And I feel like you weren’t joking about needing help.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled at him, “Ya, I wasn’t.”</p><p>            “Okay,” Bellamy said opening the book up to where she had dog-eared the page, “Clarke turning a mouse into a teacup? Octavia could do this.”</p><p>            Clarke turned her nose up to him, “Well, I’m not Octavia.” Clarke grabbed the book out of his hand and began rereading the first paragraph.</p><p>            He smiled at her and thought: <em>Definitely not Octavia.</em>    </p><p>**</p><p>            The weeks leading up to Christmas break came with them a new normal for Bellamy and Clarke. It was almost exactly how it was before except now for some reason Bellamy could not stop touching her. When he saw her stopped in the corridors talking to friends he would join them and sling his arm around her shoulders. Or he would find a reason to come talk to her friends during mealtimes and stand behind her to rub her shoulders while talking to everyone. More than once when this happened Raven gave her a knowing look that made Clarke blush. But what was Clarke to do?</p><p>She was happy. She loved having Bellamy close again, even if it wasn’t in the way she wanted him. She had begun stroking circles onto his stomach when they were cuddled up in their classroom or brushing non-existent lint off his robes when he was near her. One time when they were in the classroom he had some dirt on his cheek from Quidditch practice earlier in the evening. Clarke brushed his cheek to get it off and when she got it off he had been staring into her face. She dropped her hand but kept her face close to his, all she wanted was to cup his jaw and kiss him again. Tell him how she felt and she almost did, but this time she made up an excuse about needing to get to bed. He shook his head and jumped up and they walked in silence back to the Slytherin common room. It was a little awkward again for a few days but not nearly as much as it was after Halloween.</p><p>Raven said she was being an idiot, but Clarke couldn’t risk it. They were finally good again. She had Bellamy back, and she wasn’t in the mood to lose him anytime soon. It didn’t matter if Raven thought he felt the same way, Clarke wasn’t going to make any guesses until Bellamy showed her himself. Right now she was good with where they were, even if she wanted more.</p><p>Even thinking about not seeing him for the two weeks of Christmas holidays she hated cause she would be stuck with her mother and Kane and away from him. She had half a mind to ask him to stay at Hogwarts with her but she didn’t need Raven to tell her that was crazy for her not to do it. Bellamy’s favorite time of the year was Christmas, it had always been for the whole time she knew him. Instead of the frost on the ground dampening his spirits it seemed to energize him. It was infectious. And she knew his favorite part of it was spending the time with his mother, Aurora, and Octavia. She didn’t need him to tell her that. So she’ll have tonight with him at the Gryffindor Christmas party with all their friends, and then miss him for two weeks. She could do it.</p><p>Clarke and Raven decided to walk over together from the Ravenclaw common room because it was closest to Gryffindor. It would be after curfew and there was a small chance that they would get in trouble for it, but that was almost definitely not going to happen. It was the last night before break, if a prefect docked points for it that was just plain rude. They arrived at the common room when the party was already in a full swing. The Gryffindors usually rage from after dinner til dawn. Clarke wasn’t trying to stay that long but she would probably stay until Bellamy went to bed, or Raven left.</p><p>Clarke let them into the common room with the password Bellamy gave her and immediately a drunk Hufflepuff 6<sup>th</sup> year crashed right into her. He used her arms to steady himself, and Raven steadied Clarke on top of it. Clarke straightened up and Raven gave him the stink eye. “Sooorry, Love,” he slurred at them.</p><p>“Take a hike,” Raven said without missing a beat. He raised his hairs and immediately walked away, “Hate Hufflepuffs.”</p><p>“C’mon Ray,” Clarke mumbled.</p><p>“I’m serious,” Raven began and started up her rant about how interhouse unity was a bunch of bull. She always says that there was a reason everyone wasn’t housed together and that the divide was necessary. Clarke always points out that they were in different houses and they were still friends, but she doesn’t feel like it tonight. She’s scanning the crowd for the bushy hair that she has come to love. Spotted, Bellamy is standing by the entrance to the dormitories throwing a beer back and laughing with Miller and two chasers from his team. Clarke’s eyes zeroed in on him and she started to smile. “Griffin are you even listening?” Raven grabbed her arm and followed where he eyes were drawn to, “You’re crazy.”</p><p>Clarke just shrugged, “It’s true.”</p><p>Raven made her look at her, “Okay, you know I accept you for all your crazy. But tonight you can’t ditch me.”</p><p>“What?” Clarke backtracked, “When have I ever ditched you?”</p><p>“Never, but you’ve also never made those dream eyes at Bellamy.”</p><p>Clarke blushed but held up her pinkie anyway, “Swear.” Raven put her pinkie into Clarkes and smiled.</p><p>“Oh, what’s the swear for?” Bellamy said on his way over. He didn’t wait for an answer though, just swept Clarke into his arms and spun around. Clarke couldn’t help but let up a giggle.</p><p>Raven audibly gagged from next to them, “Y’all are so cute I’m gonna be sick.”</p><p>“Me too,” Miller said from behind Bellamy, “Have you seen Sterling?”</p><p>“Nah,” Raven said as Bellamy put Clarke down.</p><p>Bellamy turned on her and held out his arms, “Want one Raven?”</p><p>“Don’t make me vomit Blake,” Raven spat. Clarke laughed at the dramatics and grabbed Bellamy’s arm to protect him from the brunette. She wrapped both of her hands onto his biscep and held on. Miller gave Bellamy a knowing look that Raven caught. File that in for later. “I want a drink,” she announced instead.</p><p>“Me too,” Clarke said from her spot at Bellamy.</p><p>“I’ll get them,” Miller said.</p><p>Raven looked at her friend already cuddled up with Bellamy and rolled her eyes, “I’ll come with. Be back soon.” The pair walked toward the coffee table filled with drinks.</p><p>Clarke unwrapped herself from Bellamy and spotted an arm chair in the corner that was unoccupied. “C’mon,” she pulled his hand towards it. She said on one of the arms and Bellamy slid into the chair itself.</p><p>“You got here late.”</p><p>“You started early,” Clarke retorted. Bellamy tipped his beer at her and she put her hand out, “You mind?”</p><p>Bellamy shook his hand and handed it over. He tried to meet Millers eyes to get him another but him and Raven were deep in a discussion. “I didn’t know they were friends.”</p><p>Clarke followed his eye sight, “I don’t know if they are.” She handed the beer back to him and put her feet up onto the cushion of the chair and leaned her back on the wall next to her. Bellamy put his hand on her jean covered calf to steadied her, but kept it there.</p><p>“Are you excited for the holidays?”</p><p>“Not even a little bit,” Clarke answered back looking down at him. His eyes were focused on her face, waiting for her to explain, “First one since my dad.”</p><p>“Oh,” recollection flittered on Bellamy’s face, “Sorry I shouldn’t have forgot.”</p><p>There was a pause and then Clarke confided “sometimes I forget. It’s terrible but being here almost makes me believe that I’ll go home and he’ll still be there.”</p><p>“Clarke,” the care in his voice cut through her. She didn’t want to cry.</p><p>“I just need a drink,” she smiled sadly at him, “I got my mom to not have Kane come over until the afternoon on Christmas so that the morning can be for him.”</p><p>Bellamy began stroking up and down her calf, “That’ll be bett-“</p><p>“Jesus who died?” Bellamy was cut off by Miller’s remark when he and Raven returned.</p><p>“Miller,” Bellamy growled.</p><p>Clarke wisped her hand on his shoulder and shook her head with a smile, “Where’s my butterbeer?”</p><p>Raven handed it to her with a knowing smile, “Wanna get faded Griffin?”</p><p>Clarke laughed and tipped her beer on Ravens and chugged a gulp before replying, “Always.”</p><p>            **</p><p>            The party went by in a blur. At one point someone went out for more Butterbeer and Firewhiskey because they ran out of drinks well before midnight. The group were barely tipsy by the time that happened so thank god someone got more. Miller had his own stash that he shared among the group but it didn’t last long between the original four and the four others that joined: Sterling, Monty, Jasper, and Maya.</p><p>            And Maya, for all her seriousness could knock it back. She did three shots in a row and everyone, including Bellamy her partner were staring at her in disbelief. “What?” she said self-consciously and everyone looked away. Except for Jasper.</p><p>            Instead he responded, “Oh nothing, ya know just pretty sure I’m in love.”</p><p>            That had everyone dying on the floor laughing and Maya smiled as she turned a light magenta. Even Jasper blushed, Clarke secretly didn’t think he actually meant to say it at all.</p><p>            No one thought it was more funny than Bellamy. He died laughing and tightened his hold on Clarkes waist so much that she slide off the arm chair and on his leg. She tried to get up and right herself but Bellamy just held tight and smiled at her, “You don’t have to.” His pupils were blown and his smile daring her to. She matched his own with her just as much competition in her eyes. She ended up just sitting on his lap with his arm wrapped around her waist and fingertips brushing her thigh. Raven raised her eyebrows at Miller and he shook her head. Clarke wasn’t going to think about it though, this felt right. Being here with Bellamy and all her closest friends felt nice, it was a perfect moment. She laid her head back on Bellamy’s shoulder and just smiled.</p><p>            The movement made her brain more fuzzy, but when Bellamy asked her if she was okay she wasn’t going to tell him that. “Perfect,” she slurred with a boozy smile at him. He had stars in his eyes when he was staring at her.</p><p>            Bellamy leaned back on the chair to get more comfortable and take them away from the group. He would never admit it to her but she was getting a little heavy on his leg anyway, he could use the rest as much as he thought she could.</p><p>            “You’re pretty,” Clarke mumbled to him from his shoulder blade. Bellamy laughed, or basically giggled if he was honest with himself.</p><p>            “Not as pretty as you,” he said back using his free arm that wasn’t about to fall asleep to smooth her hair down. She hummed from his shoulder blade and closed her eyes. “Clarke,” Bellamy sang, “You have to go back down to your common room tonight. We have a train to catch tomorrow.”</p><p>            “Don’t want to go,” Clarke pouted.</p><p>            Bellamy chuckled, “I don’t want you to go either. But you need to get your stuff from your dorm before getting on the train tomorrow.”</p><p>            Clarke grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, “Not that.” She mumbled sleepily but opened her eyes. Her eyes were crisp blue staring into his brown orbs. “I don’t want to go home.”</p><p>            Bellamy frowned, “It’s Christmas though.”</p><p>            “It doesn’t feel like Christmas this year.” The not without him hung silently in the air between them.</p><p>            “Come home with me,” Bellamy slurred a little on the home but he was serious. Now that he said it he actually wanted it. He didn’t want to not see Clarke for another two weeks anyway and his mom wouldn’t mind.</p><p>            Clarke looked up at him confused, “I can’t miss Christmas with my mom.” It seemed like it was taking a lot of brain power for her to come to that decision.</p><p>            “Then don’t,” Bellamy said like it was the easiest thing in the world, “Come after Christmas. Before New Years, mom always throws a party anyway. Octavia would love to have you.” Clarke still didn’t look sure, but now Bellamy needed this. Clarke at his home with his family. His three favorite people, sorry Miller. “I would love to have you.”</p><p>            He said it with so much conviction that Clarke almost believed it for a second. That right now they were together, and not just wrapped around each other. “I’ll think about it.”</p><p>            Bellamy unintertwined her hand and held out his pinkie, “Promise?”</p><p>            Clarke smiled dutifully at him and intertwined their pinkies, “Promise.”</p><p>            “Okay,” Raven clapped and broke them out of their serene, “I’m gonna bounce.” She was up before anyone else said a word and walked to the arm chair, “Clarke?”</p><p>            Clarke stared up at her best friend. <em>Oh yeah,</em> she thought in her haze, <em>I can’t stay here.</em> Without thinking she placed a chaste kiss onto Bellamy’s shoulder and raised her arms to let Raven pull her up. The blood rushed to her head and she kept both her arms looked in Ravens to steady herself and swayed. Bellamy was up in a flash there if she fell.</p><p>            “Jesus, Griffin,” Raven said as she clutched onto Clarke.</p><p>Bellamy looked anxiously at the pair, “Maybe I should walk with you.”</p><p>“You can’t be wandering through the halls drunk Bellamy,” Maya admonished.</p><p>“I got her,” Raven said. Clarke was much more steady now, Raven knew for a fact she has been worse.</p><p>Bellamy ignored her, “Clarke do you want me to come?”</p><p>Clarke shook her head and stood up straight, “No I’m fine. It was just standing up.” She leaned into Bellamy’s weight and gave him a tight hug, which he returned delicately. Miller cleared his throat.</p><p>Bellamy let go and transfer the weight he was holding to Raven who grimaced, “If you get caught just tell the prefect to come get me.”</p><p>“Bellamy!” Maya exclaimed which Bellamy ignored.</p><p>“Gotcha,” Raven said at the same time Clarke slurred that they would be good, “I’m gonna stay with her tonight to make sure she’s good.” That put Bellamy’s heart at ease and he nodded.</p><p>Most of the group excluding Sterling, who was staying the night in the boys dormitory left just after Clarke and Bellamy did.</p><p>“Dude,” Miller said chuckling and shaking his head at Bellamy.</p><p>“What?” Bellamy said.</p><p>“You got it bad,” Miller said and Sterling smiled to agree leaning back onto his boyfriend.</p><p>Bellamy scoffed, didn’t have to tell him that.</p><p>**</p><p>            Bell,</p><p>            Merry Christmas! This will probably get to you tomorrow but I just wanted to tell you that anyway. Today went okay. This morning my mom and I ate breakfast together and relaxed before Kane got here. There was a lot of silence, but it was a nice silence. Kind of like when we’re together and it made me miss you.</p><p>            Kane got here a couple hours ago. He’s nice and he makes my mom happy and I feel terrible for wishing he would just leave. I’m serious he’s not even bad. Mostly, he just sat in my dad’s old chair. And mom just sat on the couch next to him like she didn’t even notice, and it just made me realize that he probably sits in that chair all the time. I just feel like he’s replacing him and I wanted to talk to you. I miss you. I can’t wait to see you back at school. This is our last spring together at Hogwarts and I hope it’s the best.</p><p>            Anyway, Happy Christmas Bell. I miss you.</p><p>Love, Clarke</p><p>            Bellamy sat at his desk reading the letter with his heart aching. It was the day after Christmas, usually his sister, mother, and him will lay around playing card games but today Aurora needed to return to work at the flower shop. Bellamy didn’t think she would mind anyway and pulled out a piece of paper and a quill,</p><p>            I miss you too. Come here for New Years. I’ll open our Floo Network at noon on the 28<sup>th</sup>. My mom won’t mind.</p><p>            He walked down to the kitchen to send it with his mothers’ owl. Octavia was eating a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table. She smirked at him as best she could with her mouth full, “Who’s that to?”</p><p>            “Clarke, I’m inviting her to stay for New Years,” Bellamy shrugged as if it was no big deal. Octavia’s eyebrows shot up.</p><p>            “Big deal, Mom’s gonna go crazy.”</p><p>            “No, she won’t,” Bellamy said looking at Octavia who rolled her eyes. “Okay she totally will, but I don’t think she’ll care.” He attached the short note to the owl and released her out the window.</p><p>            “Bellamy it’s the first time one of us are gonna bring someone home,” Octavia reminded him, “I mean thank god you’re bringing your girlfriend so it’s not weird when I bring my boyfriend on New Years.”</p><p>            “Who are you going to bring?” Bellamy demanded. Octavia smirked and dumped her bowl into the sink before answering. Bellamy’s hands were clutching the chair in front of him and his eyes followed her movements, “Octavia.”</p><p>            She smiled at him, “You didn’t deny that Clarke was your girlfriend.”</p><p>            Bellamy felt his cheeks tinge pink, “Who are you bringing home?”</p><p>            “Atom,” Octavia looked into his eyes defiantly.</p><p>            “Ugh,” Bellamy grimaced, “I heard you were going out with that slimeball, but I didn’t think it was true.”</p><p>            She shot him a death glare, “He’s not a slime bowl idiot.”</p><p>            Before Bellamy could retort, Aurora unlocked the kitchen door and came in with a vase of flowers balanced on her hip. Octavia stuck her tongue out at Bellamy which made him roll his eyes, “Hey lovebugs.”</p><p>            “Mommy, Bellamy invited his girlfriend to come to New Years Eve.”</p><p>            “She is not my girlfriend!” Bellamy exclaimed imprudently. God, Octavia really brought out the five year old in him.</p><p>            Aurora laughed good humoredly, “Bellamy I didn’t know Clarke was your girlfriend.” Octavia sniggered.</p><p>            “Clarke is not my girlfriend,” Bellamy said firmly. His mother smiled at him but smirked at Octavia when she didn’t think he could see her. Now that Octavia was getting older this ganging up would happen more often than not.</p><p>            “Well, who’s coming to New Years then?” Octavia said with a smirk on her face, Aurora shot her a look anyway.</p><p>            “Clarke,” Bellamy said looking at the pair, “We’re not dating though. And she’s gonna come the 28<sup>th</sup> if that’s okay?” He asked Aurora even though he’d already told Clarke.</p><p>            “Fine by me,” Aurora said happily, “Is Atom just staying the night of New Years?” Aurora asked Octavia, Bellamy’s jaw dropped.</p><p>            “Neither of you told me!” He accused.</p><p>            “Is it really your business?” Octavia retorted at her overprotective brother.</p><p>            “Fuck yeah it is.”</p><p>            “Language!” Aurora shouted, “Go de-gnome the garden for that tongue.”</p><p>            “Mom, I” Bellamy tried to explain.</p><p>            “No, do it. I did not raise a boy with a filthy mouth,” Aurora said sternly. Bellamy stalked out of the kitchen. He was going to de-gnome the garden anyway but having Aurora tell him to too just put a bad taste in his mouth. At least Clarke would be here soon and equal out the balance.</p><p>            **</p><p>            Except that didn’t happen. Clarke arrived at noon on the 30<sup>th</sup> with a tumble into Bellamy’s arms. Literally a tumble, floo travel was not her strong suit. Octavia was waiting anxiously to hug her as well and Aurora stood behind Bellamy to give Clarke the full welcome. Bellamy took her luggage out of her hand.</p><p>            “Mom,” Bellamy said lugging the reasonably heavy luggage around to the side of the couch, “this is Clarke, Clarke this is my mom.”</p><p>            Clarke held out her hand, “Nice to meet you,”</p><p>            Aurora smiled warmly at her. “Please,” the woman waved her hands and pulled Clarke into her arms. Clarke always knew that Aurora had a striking resemblance to Octavia but from up close Clarke recognized the shape and color of Bellamy’s eyes staring back at her. It made Aurora have a soft glow that Octavia’s sharp eyes lacked, “Call me Aurora.” The older woman tucked Clarke into her side and began dragging her to the kitchen, “Hope you’re hungry.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled at Bellamy and his heart stopped. God, he missed that smile too much in the last week. He watched her get dragged into the kitchen and then turned back around all set to lug Clarke’s luggage up to his room where they would be sleeping. Octavia smiled at him, “Damn. I knew something was up but I didn’t know you had it this bad.”</p><p>            “Shut up,” Bellamy said without any heat but didn’t deny it. He couldn’t even deny it to himself anymore.</p><p>            **</p><p>            Bellamy came down from putting sheets onto the air mattress he was going to sleep on for the night to his literal worst nightmare. Well, maybe not his worse. That included seeing way too much of his Uncle Daniel at the lake retreat last year. This was a close second to that. It was the three women of his life all laughing together; at first he thought it was nice, but now he realizes what they’re all laughing at was him.</p><p>            “And Bellamy ran out of the lake naked because he thought a merperson had stolen his trunks but it was just a stick!” His mother said to a roar of laughs from the table.</p><p>            “Jesus,” Bellamy explains from the doorway. Aurora has the tact to seem chagrined, but Clarke and Octavia can’t control their laughter. Octavia even went as far as pointing at him, “Mom, I was five.”</p><p>            “An idiot five year old,” Octavia snorted but received a look from her mom, “Sorry, you were the smartest five year old I knew.”</p><p>            Bellamy rolled his eyes and braced to make eye contact with Clarke. She smiled at him and Bellamy strode towards her, “Octavia I was the only five year old you knew.”</p><p>            “Exactly!” Bellamy stood behind Clarke and rested his hands on her shoulders and began rubbing the knots on her back.</p><p>            Aurora raised her eyebrow but didn’t say anything, Octavia on the other hand, “Damn Bellamy can you wait to touch your girlfriend til we aren’t in the room.”</p><p>            “Fuck off,” Bellamy said stilling his hands on Clarke’s shoulders but not removing them.</p><p>            “Octavia,” Aurora admonished putting the tea glasses on the table.</p><p>            “Mom,” she echoed back to her. Clarke had a faint blush on her cheeks but she did giggle.</p><p>            “Want to go upstairs?” Bellamy asked her.</p><p>            Clarke shook her head right as Aurora began exclaiming about how she should go rest, “Go Go,” she said.</p><p>            “No, I’m okay,” Clarke insisted, “I wanted to help with dinner!”</p><p>            “Not tonight,” Aurora smiled, “I have Octavia for that. Bellamy will show you where you’re sleeping and if you want to sleep somewhere else then just let me know! Cmon Octavia let’s go get some tomatoes from the garden.” The pair left the room quickly.</p><p>            “Well, they didn’t really give me time to help out,” Clarke laughed suddenly. Bellamy chuckled and rubbed down her arms one time before stopping. Clarke pushed out her chair and got up to stand in front of him, she smiled at him again, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”</p><p>            Bellamy smirked at her, “Miss me that much?” He joked.</p><p>            “Yes,” Clarke said dead seriously starring into his eyes. He blushed but smiled wide enough that his eyes crinkled at the ends.</p><p>            Bellamy pushed a piece of hair that fell down to her eyes behind her ear, “I missed you too.” Clarke burrowed herself into his chest and he squeezed her back, “I have to show you where you’re sleeping or my mom is gonna flip that you didn’t get enough rest before dinner.”</p><p>            He began to lead her up the stairs to his room when she spoke from behind him, “I can’t rest now. I feel like I’m seeing a whole new side of you.”</p><p>            “You know all the sides of me,” Bellamy said opening his childhood bedroom door.</p><p>            “No,” Clarke shook her head. “I mean look at this,” she had picked up a trophy he got as a child for rugby. After inspecting it she said, “I never knew you played rugby.”</p><p>            “Yeah, I did til I got to Hogwarts.”</p><p>            “Why?” Clarke asked just realizing how strange it was. She knew about Rugby from her dad but how did he know?</p><p>            “My dad was a muggle,” Bellamy shrugged.</p><p>            “I had no idea, I just assumed he wasn’t,” Clarke said, “Why haven’t you told me that? My dad is a muggle too.”</p><p>            “Yeah well, my dad knocked up my mom and then abandoned her before I was born,” Bellamy shrugged and turned towards the bed, “So you’ll be sleeping here,”</p><p>            Clarke put her hand on his arm from behind him, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”</p><p>            The tense in Bellamy’s shoulders relaxed, “It’s okay, I just don’t like talking about it.” He turned around and smiled at her look of pity. He didn’t want to see it on her face, he hadn’t told anyone at Hogwarts that before. Clarke walked past him and plopped on the air mattress and got comfortable. “Um,” he said, “What are you doing?”</p><p>            “Resting,” she said and laid down, “I’m on very strict orders.”</p><p>            “You’re joking right?” Bellamy said at Clarke’s blank look he continued, “You’re sleeping on the bed, I’m on the air mattress.”</p><p>            Clarke shook her head, she was expecting this but it would be better not to have a fight about it, “No, Bellamy, you invited me I’m not going to steal your bed.”</p><p>            “No Clarke,” Bellamy repeated with a smile on his face, “I invited you so that means you have to steal my bed. Even if you refuse my mom will kill me for making you sleep on the mattress.” He pouted, “Do you really want my death on your conscious?”</p><p>            Clarke smiled, “I think I’ll live.”</p><p>            Bellamy smirked, “For that I think I’ll have to use force to get you out of the bed.”</p><p>            “You wouldn’t dare,” Clarke said already moving her hands to clutch onto the sides of the plastic.</p><p>            “Oh yes, I would,” Bellamy said stalking towards her. He made like he was going to pick her up but instead pushed his hands to her abdomen at the last second and tickled her. She screamed loud enough that he was sure his mother and sister could hear but he didn’t care. He dove onto the mattress and with enough care that he didn’t put all his weight on her began tickling her. She continued screaming and twisting around on the air mattress with him until she finally cried uncle.</p><p>            At that point he had gotten on the bottom some how and Clarke was sprawled out on his chest basically straddling him. She was heaving in breaths when she realized their position. She looked into his eyes for a moment while the smile slowly dropped off her face. Bellamy was staring at her longingly.</p><p>            Clarke popped up, “Okay you win. I’ll sleep on the bed.”</p><p>            “Ya, I thought so,” Bellamy started to get up too but realized something was wrong.</p><p>            “Um, Bell,” Clarke said from above him staring at the mattress and biting her lip, “I think the mattress popped.”</p><p>            Shit, this would be a fun one to explain to his mom. Bellamy thought to himself and got up to check that it was indeed popped. She was right of course and he brought his hand to the back of his neck to rub the skin anxiously. “Well, that sucks.” Clarke started giggling and Bellamy couldn’t help but break into a smile. She couldn’t stop giggling and had even sat down on his bed to do it. “Oh yeah?” he laughed and launched, the tickling began again until they were both too tired to continue. Clarke rested her head on one of Bellamy’s pillows and he sat with his back against his head board.           </p><p>            “Do you and Octavia have the same dad?” Clarke said suddenly into the silence, It took Bellamy aback.</p><p>            “No,” Bellamy said and clenched his fist.</p><p>            “Where is he?” Clarke asked laying her hand on top of the tensed fist. He unclenched and held her hand in his big one.</p><p>            “I don’t know,” Bellamy said after a pause, “Good riddance though.”</p><p>            “Why?” Clarke said through a yawn.</p><p>            “You can just go to sleep,” Bellamy said, “Dinner won’t be for awhile.”</p><p>            Clarke stifled another yawn and opened her eyes wider, “No, I wanna know.”</p><p>            Bellamy smiled at her and drew a circle on her hand with his thumb, “I’ll tell you later. I have to go ask my mom if she has another air mattress.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled sleepily, “You shouldn’t ask for another one. Then we can just sleep on the bed together and tell her it popped in the middle of the night.”</p><p>            Bellamy chuckled, “And there’s the Slytherin in you.” Clarke nodded sleepily but her eyes were already closed. Bellamy unintertwined their hands and left his room quietly.  </p><p>            He walked downstairs to the kitchen where he knew his mother and Octavia were prepping. Turns out that was just them both cutting vegetables and Aurora magically stirring a pot of soup on the stove while sitting at the table.</p><p>            “Long time no see,” Aurora smiled at him, “Clarke resting?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Bellamy said grabbing the pitcher of water out of the fridge, “I think she’s about to fall asleep.”</p><p>            “On the bed?” Aurora questioned innocently.</p><p>            “Well, she didn’t want to sleep on the bed so we had a sort of situation.”</p><p>            “Is that what the kids call it?” Aurora questioned innocently while Octavia chuckled from besides her.  </p><p>            “Mom,” Bellamy deadpanned.</p><p>            “All I’m saying is there was a lot of screaming coming from your room an hour ago,” Aurora shrugged as she skinned a carrot.</p><p>            “Yeah well, she didn’t want to sleep on my bed so I was trying to get her onto it,” Bellamy said. Octavia furrowed her eyebrows and Aurora looked confused. “Yeah anyway,” Bellamy continued, “We broke the inflatable mattress.”</p><p>            Octavia snorted and Aurora looked scandalized, “God, Bellamy.”</p><p>            He raised a hand and chugged the rest of his water, “It’s not like that we were just fooling around.” Aurora gasped, “God no, I was trying to get her onto my bed by tickling her off the inflatable and then it popped.”</p><p>            Octavia laughed, “You’re such a nerd.” Bellamy rolled his eyes.</p><p>            “Well, I don’t have another mattress,” Aurora said, “I’ll ask Clarke what she thinks we should do but you might be sleeping on the couch.” She said with a point of her knife at him. Bellamy rolled his eyes and got up to go backstairs to lie down with Clarke, “What are you doing?” Aurora asked. “You do not go up to a room while someone is sleeping and loiter.”</p><p>“God Bellamy don’t be creepy.”</p><p>Octavia repeated after their mother before Aurora continued, “Go de-skin that chicken.”</p><p>**</p><p>            Dinner was done with no word from Clarke. “I’ll go get her,” Bellamy said after pulling the slow roasted chicken out of the oven.</p><p>            “No,” Aurora said, “Octavia you go, see if she’s awake.” Octavia smirked at Bellamy and made her way up the stairs. He sat silently, knowing how hard it was too wake Clarke up. Bellamy heard voices upstairs and he tried to listen in. “Bellamy,” Aurora said. He gave his mom a distracted smile, “I need to talk to you about something soon, try to find me sometime tomorrow.”</p><p>            “About what?” Bellamy asked as Clarke flew out of his head. She looked serious.</p><p>            His mother gave him a sad smile as Octavia and Clarke came stomping down the stairs, “Nothing I want your sister to be worried about.”</p><p>            Well now Bellamy was worried, but he couldn’t ask his mother what was wrong because the girl in question began striding down the stairs.</p><p>            “I’m so sorry,” Clarke said sitting down in the empty seat next to Bellamy. There was a red mark on her cheek from where she was sleeping and her hair looked recently patted down. Bellamy looked and her and smiled, “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”</p><p>            Aurora laughed, “It’s okay, Floo travel always makes me very sleepy for some reason.”</p><p>            “Let’s eat,” Octavia broke in already ladling soup into her bowl. There was a meal of vegetable soup, grilled chicken, and later Aurora had made her favorite bread pudding for dessert.</p><p>            “Want some soup?” Bellamy asked reaching for her bowl.</p><p>            “Yes,” she said grabbing it before he could reach it, “I’ll get it.”</p><p>            “No,” Aurora said holding out her hand and smiling at Bellamy, “Raised him right. Guests always eat first.” Aurora side-eyed Octavia who was already spooning soup into her mouth, “At least I raised one of them to have manners.”</p><p>            Octavia had the goodness to look chagrined but kept eating, “Clarke doesn’t care. She’s a Slytherin, survival of the fittest.”</p><p>            “Octavia,” Aurora admonished, “Houses don’t define you.”</p><p>            “Except when you’re a Slytherin,” Bellamy said under his breath.</p><p>            Octavia opened her mouth to retort but Clarke beat him to it, “Hey!”</p><p>            He rolled his eyes, “Not you.”</p><p>            Clarke raised her eyebrows at him before looking away to grab the bowl in Aurora’s outstretched hand, “Thank you.” Aurora just smiled in acknowledgement before filling up her own bowl. Bellamy grabbed a large chicken breast and began cutting it up. “Aurora,” Clarke broke into the silence, “What house are you?”</p><p>            She smiled and dabbed her lips with the napkin on her lap, “Hufflepuff. How I have a Slytherin and a Gryffindor is beyond me.”</p><p>            “You could be a Gryffindor,” Bellamy said reaching across the table and sliding half of the chicken breast that he cut onto his mother’s plate. Clarke smiled, she hadn’t seen this side of him before and she loved it. Aurora looked at him with adoration in her eyes and Bellamy beamed. Clarke should’ve saw it coming but next Bellamy rounded on her and gave her the rest of the chicken he had cut.</p><p>            “Bellamy!” Clarke exclaimed, this was a little intense.</p><p>            “Clarke,” he said with raised eyebrows. Clarke shook her head but didn’t say anything but was learning all too quickly it was useless to fight against kindness in this house.</p><p>            “Bellamy,” Octavia called from the head of the table, “Why don’t I get any chicken?” She smirked at him, obviously not actually caring.</p><p>            Aurora shook her head at her restless daughter. Bellamy responded as he grabbed another chicken breast, “Yeah well maybe if you told me Atom was coming I would give you some.”</p><p>            Octavia huffed and said under her breath, “Like you gave us so much notice about Clarke.”</p><p>            Clarke’s head shot up, and Aurora waved her hand as she finished chewing, “Oh Octavia stop now. Clarke we’re happy to have you.” Clarke smiled and spooned some more soup in her mouth, “You’re probably used to the sibling rivalry anyway.”</p><p>            “Clarke’s an only child,” Bellamy said sliding the first half of the cut chicken breast onto his sisters plate. He hadn’t eaten any food yet or gotten his soup. Aurora began ladling another bowl of soup for her son who took it with a smile.</p><p>            “Yeah it’s just me,” Clarke smiled and added, “And my mom.”</p><p>            “Oh that must be lonely sometimes,” Aurora said kindly.</p><p>            “It’s okay,” Clarke shrugged and continued, “We used to have my dad too but he died this past summer.”</p><p>            “I didn’t know that,” Octavia said loudly as Aurora reached across the table to grab Clarke’s hand.</p><p>            “I’m so sorry for your loss.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled but it was easy to talk to her when Bellamy’s eyes shone from her face. Clarke took her hand out of Auroras and rested it on Bellamy’s forearm, “It’s okay. Bellamy as been a great help with it.” Aurora smiled.</p><p>            Bellamy shook his head but he had a matching smile on his face, “No, I just listen. And let you break curfew for midnight snacks.”</p><p>            Octavia pouted, “Griffin, I’m coming next time you do.”</p><p>            Clarke laughed and nodded, “Yeah definitely.” She got serious though and looked at Bellamy who was already looking at her smiling. He seemed more open at home and she loved that about him. At Hogwarts he was always open about physical affection, but almost never as relaxed in the corridors as right now. Clarke loved to see him here. “Bellamy is a great guy,” Clarke said looking over to Aurora who was smiling at them, “He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met.”</p><p>            Bellamy beamed and raised his eyebrows at his sister. Octavia leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes but Aurora had a look of pride on her face, “I know,” She said to Clarke, “He’s always been sweet.” Aurora continued. “His father was a kind man too,” Aurora said and Bellamy scuffed. Aurora shook her head, “He was, Just not very brave. Not ready to live in a world with magic. Couldn’t wrap his head around it.”    </p><p>            Bellamy shook his head, “He could’ve tried harder.”</p><p>            But Aurora shook his head, “He wasn’t half the man you are sweetheart.”</p><p>            Clarke smiled as Bellamy blushed. Octavia broke the silence, “I’m done hearing about Bellamy.”</p><p>Aurora laughed and waved her hand, “Good, let’s have some pudding.”</p><p>***</p><p>Dessert went on without a hitch and Clarke spent the whole time laughing but later on Aurora who had been nodding away stood up, “I need to go to bed. Can’t stay up as long as the young ones.”</p><p>Clarke smiled up at her, “Good night.”</p><p>Aurora smiled back at her but then had to stifle another yawn, “Good night sweetie, you’re okay to sleep in Bellamy’s bed?”</p><p>            “Totally fine.”</p><p>            “Okay good,” She started rounding the wall of the living room and walking to the stairs in the kitchen, “Bellamy sleep down here on the couch.”</p><p>            Clarke looked at him and raised her eyes while he blushed, “Yeah mom, I will.”</p><p>            After she was sure Aurora had gone upstairs Clarke rounded on Bellamy with a smile, “You told her the mattress broke? I told you not to.”</p><p>            “I had too,” Bellamy whined, “She would’ve found out.”</p><p>            Clarke leaned back into the couch seated next to him, “Now you can’t sleep upstairs with me. That’s lame,” Clarke dragged, “Octavia isn’t that lame.”</p><p>            She laughed and stood up herself, “I’m not getting into a lovers quarrel.”</p><p>            “O,” Bellamy said sternly as he looped his arm around Clarke’s shoulder and pulled her into his chest. Clarke snuggled up to his side for the first time in weeks, “C’mon shut up.”</p><p>            Octavia stopped in the doorway and crossed her arms, “Bellamy are you kidding? You couldn’t even wait til I was out of the room to cuddle up. Pathetic.” Bellamy frowned but Octavia started to walk up the stairs before he retorted, “Goodnight,” Octavia sang as she walked up the stairs.</p><p>            Clarke chuckled into his shoulder blade but Bellamy spoke up, “It’s not funny. She’s rude.”</p><p>            “She’s just being a little sister,” Clarke reminded him.</p><p>            “I just hate that she makes comments like that,” Bellamy said pulling Clarke closer to his chest and kissing her head, “She doesn’t know us.”       </p><p>            “Well, I don’t care,” Clarke said with conviction. Bellamy raised his eyebrows and looked down at her, “I don’t. We’re exactly as we are.” She smiled into his layered shoulder, “I love how we are.”</p><p>            Bellamy smiled and dislodged her to stand up, “Want some tea before bed? I’m going to get some Chamomile.”</p><p>            “No, I’m okay,” Clarke said straightening out on the couch but before Bellamy got out the door started, “Wait yes, Mint tea?”</p><p>            “Sure,” Bellamy called into the other room as he got into the kitchen. Clarke laid down on the couch, it was actually more comfortable than she thought it would be. She looked around the room that she hadn’t gotten to examine beforehand. The walls were a deep yellow and the bricks in the fireplace she had tumbled out of were painted a deep pink. Each corner of the small room were filled with pots of different bright green plants. The mantle had a bunch of frames of moving pictures. Clarke stood up to examine them. The biggest one in the middle was a staged portrait of a younger Bellamy and an even younger Octavia. It looked like she was just about to enter Hogwarts and Bellamy had a muggle suit on that looked a size too small. Aurora looked frazzled, Clarke would be too if she was dealing with a prepubescent Octavia, but the mother looked happy.</p><p>            The frame to the right of it was a picture of a very young Octavia in a tutu on a broomstick. This picture moved as she zoomed past and Bellamy joined the frame as she floated underneath looking anxiously at his sister. The last photo was a moving picture of younger Octavia running towards her brother on Platform 9 and 3/4s. Bellamy’s young face had a bright smile plastered on it as he opened his arms to welcome his little sister.</p><p>            “Spying?” The man in question said to Clarke as he walked in carefully with their tea.</p><p>            “Yeah,” Clarke challenged and looked behind herself. After placing the teas on the coffee table he came up behind Clarke to look at the pictures as well. Clarke leaned against him to rest and he wrapped his arms around her torso. Clarke freed one of her arms to point at the photo of Octavia running towards him on the platform, “How old were you there?”</p><p>            “It was after my first year of Hogwarts,” Bellamy said into her hair.</p><p>            “You look so happy,” Clarke smiled.</p><p>            “Well, I was there,” Bellamy said, “I got to see my family again but I didn’t like first year that much.</p><p>            Clarke turned around in his arms and stepped back, “Why not?”</p><p>            Bellamy smiled and blushed holding her still at an arms length away, “I missed them. I had never been away from them. My mom had homeschooled me.”</p><p>            “Really? I didn’t know that,” Clarke questioned, furrowing her brows, “I feel like I don’t know anything about you now that I’m here.”</p><p>            Bellamy scoffed, “You know me better than anyone.” He wrapped his arm around Clarke and led her back to the couch. He laid down and she laid on top of him. The tea forgotten.</p><p>            Clarke bunched his tshirt into her hand, “Not enough.”</p><p>            “Well,” Bellamy said stroking her arm, “Ask me anything.”</p><p>            Clarke thought out it for a second and then sat up straddling his stomach. It was the second time in the day, and his life he might add, that Clarke Griffin was straddled on top of him. And he didn’t mind it one bit. Just sat his torso up against the arm of the couch and reached for the forgotten tea and gave it to her. She smiled at him and looked thoughtful, “Okay, I want to know why you don’t like Octavia’s dad.”</p><p>            “Getting right too it,” Bellamy blew out a sigh, “He didn’t treat my mom right. I think he used to hit her.” His hands clenched onto Clarke’s waist and she looked sadly at him, <em>How could someone treat Aurora that terribly?</em></p><p>            “That’s terrible,” she voiced her thoughts out loud and Bellamy nodded.</p><p>            “Yeah, I never saw it but that’s mostly cause he always had me doing all the yard work with the flowers right after Octavia was born. She always had bruises on her arms. I guess she doesn’t think I remember them.”</p><p>            “Does Octavia?”</p><p>            Bellamy shook his head and said sternly, “No, and she can’t find out.”</p><p>            Clarke rolled her eyes, “Bellamy c’mon.”</p><p>            “I know, I’m sorry. I just like don’t even think my mom knows I know as much as I do, but I can’t forget about it. He left after a couple of years before Octavia even started homeschool with me.”</p><p>            “Good,” Clarke said putting her undrunk tea back on the coffee table and laying down onto Bellamy’s chest. He finished the rest of his own and scooted down further into the cushion.</p><p>            “You should go upstairs before we fall asleep down here.”</p><p>            “I’ll just get up early,” She said snuggling into his chest, “I’m not going to leave you now that I just got you back.”</p><p>            Bellamy smiled and kissed her head. He knew his mom would be the first to wake up like she always was but he didn’t care. He didn’t want Clarke to leave either.</p><p>            **</p><p>            Clarke woke up to Aurora Blake watering the plants in the living room and humming. She immediately tried to sit up but Bellamy had moved her and trapped her in between the couch and his body with his leg thrown over her. Aurora saw her shifting and raised her hand not holding the watering can to her lips to put a finger there. She smiled, shook her head, and whispered, “Sleep,” before leaving the room.</p><p>            Clarke tried but now that she was awake was feeling exponentially trapped in the hole that Bellamy had allotted her. When she realized there was no way his sleep adled brain was going to let her out and began using her free arm that wasn’t asleep under his torso to poke his side. “Bellamy,” she whispered to a grunt in her face. “Bellamy,” she whispered again, louder this time.</p><p>            “Sleeping,” he said softly.</p><p>            Clarke smiled, “I need to get up. You’re crushing me.” His eyes half opened but he just briefly untangled them apart and turned around. Clarke was able to squeeze out of her hole on the couch and sneak upstairs to his room and grab her toothbrush. She brushed her teeth and patted some water onto her face before going downstairs to see if Aurora would let her help with breakfast. She came down to Octavia at the kitchen table clutching a cup of coffee and Aurora flipping pancakes on the stove.</p><p>            “Morning,” she called looking behind her at Clarke’s figure at the bottom of the stairs.</p><p>***</p><p>            The rest of the day was spent in a blue of chores and baking to get ready for the party tonight. Aurora turned into a machine. Bellamy and Clarke spent the better part of the morning cleaning the already spotless house while Octavia helped her mother set up the paper decorations.</p><p>            Atom arrived around midday and that basically made Octavia useless because she wanted to give Atom the full tour, which spent a much more than necessary time in her bedroom with the door closed. Bellamy complained to Aurora while she was finishing up the baking and cooking for the party about this but she just shook her head and waved her hand, “Octavia’s young.”</p><p>            “I’m young too,” Bellamy retorted to which Aurora gave him a knowing look.</p><p>            “And you were cuddled up on the couch this morning with your friend. Why can’t Octavia take a break from cleaning with her actual boyfriend?”</p><p>            Bellamy looked chagrined but didn’t say anything until he had dragged Clarke outside to help with draping the lights on the house. Bellamy was already seventeen so he could perform magic outside of Hogwarts but Clarke just stood behind him and watched. Bellamy broke the silence, “I didn’t know my mom saw us.”</p><p>            “Oh yeah sorry, She was the one to wake me up,” Clarke stilled, “Sorry did you care?”</p><p>            Bellamy stopped draping the lights and turned around to wrap Clarke into his arms. The warmth was very much appreciated for her and she burrowed her head into his chest, “Not at all.” He said, something in his voice made her look up at him. They were impossibly close. Clarke felt as if she could count all of the freckles draped along his cheekbones. His eyes starred into her face. With all the feeling masked beneath Clarke couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she knew this look wasn’t something a friend gave to another friend. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss onto her forehead, her eyes closed as she breathed in the moment. “You should go inside,” He said stepping back, “It’s cold. Go get ready for the party.”</p><p>            Clarke got out of her stupor and smiled at him, “What I can’t wear your ratty old sweatpants.”</p><p>            Bellamy laughed and turned back toward decorating the house, “You can wear whatever, but Octavia will definitely make fun of us.”</p><p>            Clarke laughed and began walking into the house, “I’m not scared of her,”</p><p>            “Speak for yourself!” Bellamy called after her retreating figure. He finished draping the last of the lights and went back into the kitchen to see his mother icing a cake alone. The party was to start in an hour.</p><p>            “Did Clarke go upstairs to get ready?” Aurora asked smiling at him.</p><p>            “Yeah,” Bellamy said sitting down at the table across from her, “I can ice that if you wanted to go upstairs too.”</p><p>            Aurora smiled at him and shook her head, “Thanks Bellamy, but I’m okay.”</p><p>            “Mom,” Bellamy said suddenly from his spot, “What did you mean last night before dinner?”</p><p>            “My beautiful boy,” Aurora smiled at him as he rolled his eyes, “I’ve been having very concerning readings lately with my cards.”</p><p>Bellamy looked up at her. Divination wasn’t his own strong suit but he knew his mom believed in it full heartedly, so did Octavia if she would ever admit to it. “Mom,” he sighed, “You need to take that stuff with a grain of salt.”</p><p>Aurora waved the spatula, “I know,” she said calmingly, “But either way I’ve drawn up a will just in case.”</p><p>Bellamy’s jaw dropped, “Jesus, mom.”</p><p>She smiled at him, “I don’t want you to worry. I’m worrying enough for the both of us.” Aurora spoke calmingly and created even lines on the surface of her cake. Bellamy didn’t know what to say. She continued anyway, “I just wanted you to know that if anything happened to me, Octavia is your responsibility.”</p><p>“I know,” Bellamy said. She always had been. The mantra from growing up was instilled in his subconscious: My sister, My responsibility.</p><p>“Legally, Bellamy,” Aurora said, “So is the house and the flower shop, everything I own. Give Octavia what she wants, that’s also in the will. She can have any of my possessions but you will own everything. I need you to take care of her.”</p><p>“Always mom,” Bellamy said standing up and walking over to his mother. He made her put down the spatula, “Mom don’t stress out about this. Don’t think about it.” He hugged her tightly.</p><p>“You’ll be okay Bellamy,” She said wrapping her small arms around her grown son, “I just wanted to tell you just in case.”</p><p>“Okay,” Bellamy pulled back and started to leave the kitchen. He didn’t want to think about this let alone talk about it. From the bottom of the stairs he turned around, “You’ll be okay too mom.”</p><p>She smiled up at him and continued humming as iced the cake.</p><p>**</p><p>The New Years party hit off with a bang. On top of the paper decorations Aurora conjured mystic balls of lights to hang from the ceiling igniting the room in a soft glow.</p><p>Bellamy spent the night fielding awkward comments from relatives about his relationship to Clarke when he introduced her and also trying to intimidate Atom into not touching his baby sister. Octavia spent the night giving Bellamy the worst death glare and telling all of the relatives that him and Clarke were getting married as pay back.</p><p>His Uncle Daniel came up to him in greeting and pulled him in a hug. He whispered in his ear to warn Bellamy not to get married and throw his life away. Bellamy blushed to the tips of his ears and stammered that there wasn’t a problem.</p><p>That was the last straw and even though it wasn’t midnight yet and his baby sister was sitting on the couch cuddled up with her boyfriend Bellamy couldn’t take it anymore and dragged Clarke to his bed upstairs.</p><p>Clarke couldn’t stop laughing when he told her what his Uncle Daniel had whispered in his ear. She collapsed on his bed in giggles, “No way.”</p><p>“Way,” Bellamy said collapsing next to her and putting the back of his hand up to his forehead, “I’m not going back down there.”</p><p>Clarke straddled his hips and he opened his eyes in surprise, “I’m not complaining.” Her eyes had a lightness that he’d only seen at common room parties.</p><p>Bellamy laughed anyway and splayed his hands on her hips, “Clarke, you’re drunk.”</p><p>Clarke rolled her eyes dramatically and put her hands on his pecs to steady herself. “No, I’m not Bellamy,” She said strongly, “I’m not at all.” There was a new look in her eye that Bellamy had only seen a handful of times, but he loved it. He stroked circles on her back and she closed her eyes and hummed to the movement. <em>Jesus</em>, he thought to himself,<em> Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. But there isn’t a world in which I would rather be downstairs with Uncle Daniel that up here with Clarke. </em></p><p>With her eyes closed, Bellamy let his eyes run up her body. Instinctively he knew that Clarke was beautiful, but he always attributed that to her wit and her mind, maybe even her eyes. But her curves were godly. Bellamy stared at the hourglass of her waist before making his way to the rise and fall of the swell in her chest. He ghosted his hands up her hips until they sat on her rib cage. Her eyes opened up and stared down at him. There was no mistaking it now, there was want in her eyes that he had never clearly seen before.</p><p>This situation had gotten on top of him, literally, and Bellamy needed to shift before it became increasingly awkward between them. He slowly pushed her to lay on her side next to him, but he couldn’t break the eye contact. Clarke moved her hands onto his shoulders and her face was now impossibly closer to his.</p><p>“Bellamy,” Clarke whined. Bellamy paused, he couldn’t.</p><p>“Clarke, We can’t. We’ve been drinking and you’re just,” he whispered, “too important to me. You don’t even know how important you are to me.”</p><p>“I’m not drunk,” Clarke repeated, “And I know how important I am to you. You’re just as important to me.”</p><p>Bellamy scuffed, “I doubt that.” He turned to lay on his back.</p><p>Clarke stayed where she was but broke her hold on his to cup his cheek. “Bellamy,” his face tilted to see hers, “Show me. Show me how important I am to you.”</p><p>She demanded standing out on the limb and making him come to her. Making him jog to keep up with her. Making him surge his face right up to hers and kiss her with all the might he could. It was bruising. Clarke put just as much into the kiss as she was getting from him. One hand tangled itself into his curls and the other scraped along his back laying next to her. Bellamy stroked her side up and down and put all the feelings he could into the kiss. All the same longing that he saw in her eyes when she challenged him to kiss her.</p><p>He broke away and rested his forehead onto hers. She was panting and Bellamy basked in the glow of her essence. “Damn you really showed me,” She smiled out and Bellamy couldn’t help it. He let out a loud laugh before rolling on top of her and sliding in between her outstretched legs. Before he could kiss her again she spoke from underneath him, “Bellamy, this is exactly what I want.”</p><p>He smiled so hard his eyes crinkled into his cheeks, “It’s exactly what I want to.” He kissed her softly this time, with one hand stroking her cheek and the other one holding up most of his weight so he wasn’t crushing her. Clarke moaned into the kiss and deepened it. She ground up against his hips that were leant on her own and made him pull back from the kiss. “Damn, Griffin,” He choked out. She smiled and heard a scream come up from downstairs.</p><p>“Bellamy,” she said softly, “Happy New Year.”</p><p>He leant down and kissed her softly, “Happy New Year, Clarke.”</p>
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